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Like bread? Like lasagna? Then you’re going to love this month’s new Ancestral Cook-up: Bread Lasagna! . Seriously, there is something magical about layering the (already darn yummy) sponge-like substance that is bread with tasty filling, covering the whole thing in stock and then baking it up. . You can do this any which way. It’s designed to suit your tastes, your kitchen and your creative whims. Check out my profile for the recipe where I talk through the options and give you loads of ideas to play with. . And then come cook with me this month :-)

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Like bread? Like lasagna? Then you’re going to love this month’s new Ancestral Cook-up: Bread Lasagna!
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Seriously, there is something magical about layering the (already darn yummy) sponge-like substance that is bread with tasty filling, covering the whole thing in stock and then baking it up.
.
You can do this any which way. It’s designed to suit your tastes, your kitchen and your creative whims. Check out my profile for the recipe where I talk through the options and give you loads of ideas to play with.
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And then come cook with me this month 🙂

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Have you ever roasted radishes?! Until today, I hadn’t. But here they are, with garlic and caraway seeds as per the recipe in Beyond the North Wind by @darra.goldstein . I gave my son one to eat whilst I was prepping them. He did not like it (very unusual for him!). After I’d done this to them, he asked for more :-)

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Have you ever roasted radishes?! Until today, I hadn’t. But here they are, with garlic and caraway seeds as per the recipe in Beyond the North Wind by @darra.goldstein
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I gave my son one to eat whilst I was prepping them. He did not like it (very unusual for him!). After I’d done this to them, he asked for more 🙂

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I get a horrid feeling any time I am faced with throwing away food. So, when my first lot of beet kvass was well-fermented and I decanted it, I just couldn’t consider throwing away the beets. Instead, I roasted them with some mushrooms, onions and courgettes. . And I am so glad I did! Talk about delicious. The kvass mix also had garlic, black pepper, coriander, cumin and caraway seeds. Those went in to the roasting dish with it. Their smell – along with that of the fermented beet – filled my little kitchen with an aroma that was totally new to me. . . I topped it with ricotta. And I topped the ricotta with black pepper, some zested lemon and a generous drizzle of olive oil. . Zero-waste tasting amazing.

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I get a horrid feeling any time I am faced with throwing away food. So, when my first lot of beet kvass was well-fermented and I decanted it, I just couldn’t consider throwing away the beets. Instead, I roasted them with some mushrooms, onions and courgettes.
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And I am so glad I did! Talk about delicious. The kvass mix also had garlic, black pepper, coriander, cumin and caraway seeds. Those went in to the roasting dish with it. Their smell – along with that of the fermented beet – filled my little kitchen with an aroma that was totally new to me. .
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I topped it with ricotta. And I topped the ricotta with black pepper, some zested lemon and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
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Zero-waste tasting amazing.

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Me with my boys in the room which is our cooking, eating, playing, sitting, reading and colouring space! . The big boy is Rob, my husband and twin flame. We’ve been together since 2008. He followed me to Italy a few months after we started our courtship and we’ve rarely been apart since. He’s washer-upper, sous chef #2, chief taster and the love of my life. . The little boy you’ve seen here before. He’s Gabriel, our 6 year-old son. He was born after doctor’s told us I’d never conceive naturally (which I didn’t believe) at home in water. He’s a bundle of joy, my greatest teacher, and has replaced Rob as sous chef #1. . These two are the only people that I’ve been able to share my culinary creations with over the last two and a half months. I am so grateful they are in my life. And I’m grateful I can share with you here, even if it is only virtually (for now…) :-)

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Me with my boys in the room which is our cooking, eating, playing, sitting, reading and colouring space!
.
The big boy is Rob, my husband and twin flame. We’ve been together since 2008. He followed me to Italy a few months after we started our courtship and we’ve rarely been apart since. He’s washer-upper, sous chef #2, chief taster and the love of my life.
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The little boy you’ve seen here before. He’s Gabriel, our 6 year-old son. He was born after doctor’s told us I’d never conceive naturally (which I didn’t believe) at home in water. He’s a bundle of joy, my greatest teacher, and has replaced Rob as sous chef #1.
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These two are the only people that I’ve been able to share my culinary creations with over the last two and a half months. I am so grateful they are in my life. And I’m grateful I can share with you here, even if it is only virtually (for now…) 🙂

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Soda bread anyone? Here’s my latest version: wholegrain, ancient grain – this time baked in a tin. And it’s nutrient-dense, by that I mean the flour has been given time to soak in the sour milk, removing the phytic acid that stops you digesting all the minerals. . Soda bread, made in this way, is this month’s #ancestralcookup. You can use any flour you like – wholemeal, white, wheat, gluten-free…whatever you can find, whatever your body loves. You can use whatever ‘milk’ you like – kefir, soured, oat, barley…whatever works for you. . I’d love to have you cook along and enjoy the super-delicious outcome. Link to the recipe is in my profile.

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Soda bread anyone? Here’s my latest version: wholegrain, ancient grain – this time baked in a tin. And it’s nutrient-dense, by that I mean the flour has been given time to soak in the sour milk, removing the phytic acid that stops you digesting all the minerals.
.
Soda bread, made in this way, is this month’s #ancestralcookup. You can use any flour you like – wholemeal, white, wheat, gluten-free…whatever you can find, whatever your body loves. You can use whatever ‘milk’ you like – kefir, soured, oat, barley…whatever works for you.
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I’d love to have you cook along and enjoy the super-delicious outcome. Link to the recipe is in my profile.

… Read More

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There’s pizza in my story today; this one! It’s wholegrain spelt sourdough topped with onions, lardo and herbs from the garden. My hubby made me smile by telling me it was the best pizza he’d ever tasted :-) . Check out the story to watch it coming to life. My dough is mixed by a pro and we shoot it into a super hot oven using our new pizza-professional toy!

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There’s pizza in my story today; this one! It’s wholegrain spelt sourdough topped with onions, lardo and herbs from the garden. My hubby made me smile by telling me it was the best pizza he’d ever tasted 🙂
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Check out the story to watch it coming to life. My dough is mixed by a pro and we shoot it into a super hot oven using our new pizza-professional toy!

… Read More

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When you make bread kvass this is your starter – left over rye sourdough. I made my first lot of this fermented drink around 2 months ago and am still using the same bread I started with. . When it’s ready (i.e. sour enough for me), I drain the fermented liquid and decant it into a swing-top bottle to fizz up in a second ferment, then I remake a sugar/water solution to add the bread back into. . I think this re-using of bread could go on indefinitely, like water kefir or milk kefir grains do. (And now I’m wondering if somewhere, someone has decade old bits of rye bread that they are still using in kvass?!!) . I often flavour my swing-top bottle second ferment with fresh mint from the garden. Sometimes, I’ll add a few raisins to get it really bubbly.

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When you make bread kvass this is your starter – left over rye sourdough. I made my first lot of this fermented drink around 2 months ago and am still using the same bread I started with.
.
When it’s ready (i.e. sour enough for me), I drain the fermented liquid and decant it into a swing-top bottle to fizz up in a second ferment, then I remake a sugar/water solution to add the bread back into.
.
I think this re-using of bread could go on indefinitely, like water kefir or milk kefir grains do. (And now I’m wondering if somewhere, someone has decade old bits of rye bread that they are still using in kvass?!!)
.
I often flavour my swing-top bottle second ferment with fresh mint from the garden. Sometimes, I’ll add a few raisins to get it really bubbly.

… Read More

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You do not need to make sourdough in order to get the all the benefits of fermented grains. Here’s farro monococco (‘little’ spelt – the grains are tiny!) which I soaked, sprouted and blended. I added a little sourdough starter before I whizzed them up; this is optional, if you don’t have it you could use kefir (milk or water), whey or nothing. Leave the mix at room temp to ferment. . From there you can use it in many ways. Get a pan really hot and make it into pancakes. Add some water and make a porridge. Pour it into a greased baking tray and oven yourself a flat bread. . We’re having this bubbly spelt as pancakes tonight, along with eggs and some fresh asparagus.

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You do not need to make sourdough in order to get the all the benefits of fermented grains. Here’s farro monococco (‘little’ spelt – the grains are tiny!) which I soaked, sprouted and blended. I added a little sourdough starter before I whizzed them up; this is optional, if you don’t have it you could use kefir (milk or water), whey or nothing. Leave the mix at room temp to ferment.
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From there you can use it in many ways. Get a pan really hot and make it into pancakes. Add some water and make a porridge. Pour it into a greased baking tray and oven yourself a flat bread.
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We’re having this bubbly spelt as pancakes tonight, along with eggs and some fresh asparagus.

… Read More