April 21, 2009 at 5:31 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Yesterday was Day 1 of my Sourdough Challenge and time to start growing my Starter. As per my recipe, all that needed to be done was mix equal quantities of flour and water together (I used 100g of each). Time and the natural yeasts in the air around us will, apparently, do the rest.
I used a standard 2 litre water bottle with the top cut off to make my starter in – hopefully it should be big enough to cope with my Starter’s (fingers crossed) imminent expansion. I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories of exploding jars (don’t use a glass container!) and messy radiators!
Obviously, chosing the flour to use was a big decision. I changed my mind between rye and wheat several times but eventually settled for rye – which is the most traditional for Sourdough and apparently a little more reliable. I used wholemeal organic flour since this has more of the natural yeasts and proteins in it which will help feed my Starter.
I’d love to hear your comments or if you’re a sourdough veteran who has any tips .
And it’s not too late to join in and start growing your very own Starter. Follow my recipe (or try your own if you prefer) and let me know how you get on. If you email me photos of your Starter, I can create you your own post which you can leave daily comments on charting your Starter’s progress. If you email them to me, I can add daily photo updates, too since you can’t post them in the comments directly.
I look forward to hearing from you – and that’s a challenge!
April 9, 2009 at 1:47 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Arabesque by Greg & Lucy Malouf
I always think middle eastern food has something magical and precious about it. Scattered pomegranate seeds, the bold contrasts of savoury and sweet and the warm fragrance of spices such as cumin and cardamom evoke an intriguing sense of enchantment that no other cuisine can. In many ways, I find this book has similar properties. The beautiful photography, high quality paper, and rich content makes it one of those occasional books which you’ll treasure, but rarer still, one you will both treasure and regularly use. Divided into ingredient-specific chapters, authors Greg and Lucy Malouf take a heartfelt approach in guiding readers through modern middle-eastern food. As well as covering basics such as ingredients’ flavours and uses, they address the mythologies which surround them and the feelings and memories they evoke for them. This isn’t limited to the ingredients, either. Recipes are given life by introductions which explain their origins and the reasons for their inclusion in the book and their repportoirs. These descriptions are so vivid that they almost make up for the distinct lack of photographs of many of the recipes – though this could still be seen as the book’s one real downside. The recipes take a clever approach to middle-eastern cooking. Although classics such as hummus, tabbouleh and falafel are all present, it is the modern adaptations which are of the most interest. Preserved lemon guacamole, goat’s cheese dolmades, saffron scrambled eggs and rose water infused berry fool all show how the cuisine’s staple ingredients can be played around with and used to bring new life to classics from completely separate cuisines. A genuinely inspiring book which, despite the array of exciting recipes, encourages experimentation and the creation of your own recipes from the list of ingredients provided. I can’t tell you the number of banquets this book has been responsible for in my house….
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April 9, 2009 at 1:45 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
SOURDOUGH FROM SCRATCH
MAKE YOUR OWN SOURDOUGH STARTER
IT IS COMING – HONEST!
I posted a few weeks ago about making this bread and trying to get you to make it along with me. Buut, as you have probably seen, I haven’t yet posted. I’ll be away next week but will now be starting on 21st April – so come on and get ready to cook along with me.
Starting on the 21st april, I’ll be making my very own sourdough loaf from scratch using just two ingredients – flour and water. Nothing else except possibly a sprinkling of salt. No yeast and absolutely no Mono and Di Acetyltartaric Esters of anything. First I’ve got to start my own sourdough starter (excuse the pun!), which I’ll ‘grow’ over a period of weeks using only the natural yeasts to be found in the air around us – and I’ll record my progress daily here on the FoodLovers blog. Join me. Start making your own bread with your very own starter – and post pictures on the blog tracking your progress. My posts will guide you day by day through the process. So be sure to come back then for the first installment and the details of what you need in order to get started yourself…
