Full Moon Feast - Hunger Moon

The full moon on Friday evening reminded me of this book I bought a while ago....

I got it out and discovered that it starts with February's moon, Hunger Moon, so I thought I'd read the first chapter and have a go at cooking one of the recipes. The book is divided into a chapter for each moon and focuses on what foods are available at these times. I am going to try and read a chapter around each full moon and give one of the recipes a go. It won't always be local foods for me because the author is American but there are similarities and my aim is really to read the book and try out a few new recipes.

This moon, the book discussed the authors history with food and this being a time in the year when food supplies are traditionally low. She also touches on farming/farmers markets and about making friends with vegetables that you may be less familiar with by trying different varieties and good recipes. With this in mind, I realised that I had all the necessary ingredients from our local veg box to make the 'Beet Borscht'.

Beetroot is a vegetable I usually only eat with salad, fresh or pickled. I have been juicing some recently too, but I never really cook with it. I have 2 childhood memories involving beetroot, one is my mum making Borscht and the smell filling the house in not a very nice way and the other is of having pickled beetroot on top of either a stew or pie with my childminder's family - not unpleasant but not something I was used to at home!

Here's my beautifully coloured soup :)

I quite liked this borscht, it was nice and chunky and had good flavours. Gaby and I will be having the leftovers tonight :)

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Comfort Food

It's been a pretty rubbish week all in all. Horrendous, never ending wind and rain. Leaks in our kitchen window, car issues, broken glasses, no washing machine and illnesses. Still, as we live in Somerset I know full well that there are many people having a much more difficult time and we have kept reminding ourselves throughout this niggly week that we are lucky to be in our house and in the warm.

I took these pictures of the Somerset Levels three weeks ago, from the train.

I had been on a post Christmas health kick but this week has broken me and I've gone all out for comfort food!

Stews...

Soups....

and cake which had to be made after I bought these pretty cake tins.

The stew is made with Hodmedod's split Fava beans which I've been with experimenting recently. Although I'm vegetarian, I'm quite uncomfortable with the food miles that can sometimes be involved in that. These are pulses which are grown in the UK.

Here's my recipe...

Smoky Split Fava Bean Stew

1 onion, chopped

3-5 potatoes

2 carrots, sliced

1 parsnip, diced

1 cup of diced swede

1 pint of veg. Stock

1 cup split Fava beans

1 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

Mixed herbs, dried

Fry the onion for a couple of minutes, until transparent. Add the vegetables and fry for a couple more minutes. Add smoked paprika and stir well. Add stock and beans, seasoning and herbs. Top up with kettle to cover veg. Bring to the boil and let the stew cook rapidly for 10 mins, then simmer for 1 hr 30 mins - 2 hours. (I do all this in my wok).

Top with dumplings and finish in the oven for 30 mins.

 

 

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Breadmaker Dough Pizza

 

My family love this pizza and several people have asked me how I make it so here is my recipe.

For the base, I use the pizza dough recipe that comes with my breadmaker. At the moment I have a Moulinex ABKEP1 which my mum kindly donated to us after ours broke down. I don't make a lot of bread in the breadmaker these days, but I do find them really useful for doughs. I have adapted the quantities of sugar and salt slightly as have found with both breadmakers I have owned, the recipes are always too sweet and salty for our tastes.

BASE

195ml Water

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

1 and a 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

350g Strong Bread Flour (I use 1/3 wholemeal bread flour)

2 tsp Dried Yeast

Sprinkle of dried basil and oregano

 

Add the ingredients to the breadmaker pan in the order listed and select the dough program.

 

TOMATO SAUCE

1 tin of Chopped Tomatoes

1-2 tbsp Tomato Purée

1 Garlic Clove

1 tbsp Olive Oil

A good shake of dried basil and oregano

Salt and Pepper

 

Heat oil in a small pan and fry garlic for a few seconds, add the chopped tomatoes, then the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 mins.

 

TOPPINGS

1 Pack Mozzarella

Grated Cheddar

3-4 Sliced Mushrooms

A Small Amount of Diced Pepper

Half a Small Tin of Chopped Pineapple

 

ASSEMBLING THE PIZZA

Spread the dough out on the baking tray and leave for 20 mins. Brush with a little olive oil and then spread over the tomato sauce. Arrange the mozzarella on the top and sprinkle the grated cheddar in between. Add the rest of the toppings and finally a little more grated cheese.

Cook for about 30 mins at gas mark 5.

 

 

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