This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the sam, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule, Soulemama

yarn along

" Below the veranda, the vegetation in the morning shade was like a rainforest of lush, evil leaves and flowers, which she had to be careful not to break as she searched. She held one hand in front of her mouth and was constantly afraid of losing her balance.  "What are you doing?" asked little Sophia. "Nothing," her grandmother answered. "That is to say," she added angrily, "I'm looking for my false teeth."  The Summer Book, Tove Jansson, p11.

I'm still reading The Summer Book by Tove  Jansson, and Chekhov short stories...the book is slim and light to carry, handy for waiting rooms and car journeys. On the bedside cabinet is The Heat of the Day, London war time drama written at the time it was set. I think that's the one I'll take away at the weekend. Also on the go are  The Legendary Cuisine of Persia, The Thrify Forager inspiring dandelion salads and nettle soups, Bowl Food  and An Everlasting Meal. They all influence how I cook...Or maybe I choose them because that's how I cook anyway.

All the while patiently waiting for my Quince and Co yarn to arrive so I can begin a Lida shawl.  I bought some Katia Bamboo to try out the pattern until it arrives. It's beautifully soft to knit, made from 60% bamboo and 40% cotton but splits so much that it's not good for lace patterns. But maybe it's just me. I've got the pattern down now so it's just a waiting game until the linen arrrives. And in-between I made more woollen socks, adapting a pattern in this book, and I'm using the Bamboo to make simple wash cloths.

I'm joining yarn along at Small Things, Frontier Dreams and Natural Suburbia this week...are you coming too?

Back on a bread roll..Three Seed Spelt Bread made with fresh or dried yeast

 

 

I lost my bread making mojo recently. I think it was ordering the 25kg sack of spelt flour that jinxed it. But now I'm well and truly back on track. 

Once I started again, I remembered not only how easy bread-making is but that you get so much more out of it than just a loaf. It's almost like a kind of therapy. You can't rush bread making. It's an organic process. You have to wait for the yeast to prove and the bread to rise. There are no short-cuts. With some grains you have to knock it back and start the process all over again, taking even longer. But I reasoned that all that kneading and knocking back must be good at reducing any built up tension, making you perfectly ready for the calm process of patiently waiting. I do recommend that if you are new to bread-making that you sling the hook, the dough hook that is, and make bread the old fashioned way. Get your hands sticky and get involved in the whole process. 

Having said that, with this recipe made from spelt flour, very little kneading is necessary. So it's a great beginners bread to make. 

I had fun this weekend teaching two of my sisters-in-law to make this bread. They are the most amazing cooks but don't bake. I wondered why when there are so many delicious breads and pastries in Persian cuisine and they are such talented cooks, that yet they don't bake. Or why they always seem overly impressed if I arrive with a home baked chocolate cake or truffle torte for them, finding it hard to believe that I've actually made it. Then I discovered why. 

They described childhood memories back home in Iran of a young woman who came to their house early every morning. She would mix flour, and add yeast and water and roll out  Persian Nan-e  Barbari,Breakfast Bread; or add milk to make sweet soft Sheermal, Milk Bread, painted with a sticky, sugary glaze that children love. Can you imagine what it must have been like to wake up to that warm sweet aroma every morning. They had their own baker, so they didn't need to learn to bake...

So when I stayed over with them last weekend  we had a mini bread making master class. And as they love English rustic seeded bread we made my favourite Three Seed Spelt Bread.


To make two small loaves of Three Seed Spelt Bread you will need.

Ingredients:

• 500g/ 1lb 2oz spelt flour. I use Dove Farm Organic Spelt flour.
• 50g/ 2oz pumpkin seeds 
• 50g/ 2oz linseeds
• 50g/ 2oz sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp fine sea salt. Some recipes call for less but I think these two loaves need a whole teaspoonful.
• 20g of fresh yeast or a tbs of dried 
• 500ml/17fl oz warm water
• A spoonful of honey
• Olive oil

The first time that I made this I read the amount of seeds incorrectly and double the quantity. When I made it correctly the next time as I put the seeds into the bowl  it didn't look enough, so I add a lot more because I love the flavour and crunch of lots of seeds. 

Method:

1. Place the yeast into a bowl or jug, add the honey and warm water. Leave for ten minutes or so until it begins to bubble and brew. If using dried yeast you can omit this stage and just add it to the dry ingredients then pour in the warm water. 
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
3. Oil a baking tray.
4. When the yeast is active, make a well in the centre of the flour, seed mixture and pour the oil and then the yeast and warm water.
5. Mix the ingredients together well. You can use a table knife or your hands to combine them. Pull the dough together to form a ball then into two separate pieces. Form each one into a rough loaf shape and place on the baking tray. You can sprinkle with a few more seeds if you like. Cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm to double in size. This should take about half an hour.
6. Towards the end of this time, turn the oven on to pre-heat. 200c/400F/Gas Mark 6.
7. Bake for about thirty minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

These loaves would never win the bread beauty pageant but they are full of flavour. Very more-ish especially when new. Delicious with butter and honey, or the way we ate them at the weekend for an English twist to a traditional Persian breakfast of salty sheep's Feta cheese with watermelon, fresh fruit and sweet cardamom tea, drunken from little glasses with golden brown sugar or honey...mmm...

Roots, Shoots and leaves: Dandelion Leaves and Shoots Salad, and More Like Trees.

I listened to an interview with  Maude Ferris-Luse who lived to be 115 years old. She claimed the secret to her long life was a diet of boiled dandelion greens and fried fish. It encouraged me to do a spot of urban dandelion foraging...and I only had to take a few steps outside the kitchen door to find a healthy batch. I didn't make any fried fish, but I made a dandelion salad using the smallest baby leaves and shoots, oh and the flowers too. If I'd had time I would have dug up the roots as well and roasted them.  I'm told that they taste even better than roasted parsnips. Hard to believe...I didn't anything could beat roast parsnips. I must try, and let you know. 

Dandelion leaves and shoots salad

Ingredients per person:

• A couple of handfuls of dandelion shoots and flowers.
• A handful of other assorted shoots or leaves. It's nice to use something a little sweet like lambs lettuce as the dandelion leaves can be a tad bitter.
• One egg 
• 1oz/ 25g of feta cheese
• Fine sea salt.

Dressing ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of pomegranate vinegar. Red wine or raspberry or any other you have on hand will do.
• 1 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 a  teaspoon of mustard powder

Method:

1. Soft boil the egg then cool in cold water, peel and quarter length-wise.
2. Whilst they are cooking, sort through the dandelion leaves and flowers, remove the green stem close to the flower as this is quite bitter. Place them in a bowl of cold water with a big spoonful of sea salt and leave to soak for about half an hour. Rinse and drain.
3. Wash and drain any other salad leaves.
4. Assemble the salad, mixing the leaves together and top with quarters of egg. Break the cheese into chunks and place on top.
5. Combine all the dressing ingredients together. Taste and then adjust to your palette. 
6. Dress the salad and eat. 

I loved this simple salad with it's combination of bitter and sweet salad leaves, mild creamy egg and tangy salty cheese. With the citrusy, sweet dressing it didn't need anything else to make it complete. Enjoyed whilst listening to more Roots, shoots and leaves...newly released nephews' album by their band More Like Trees, that I had a sneaky preview copy of...

...you might like to check it out too....

...must ask them about the clever album cover...probably something on the lines of the pen being mightier than the sword...music mightier than a machine gun? 

Bank Holiday Weekend and Spelt Pizza

Bank Holiday weekend seems ages ago now. It was amazing windows-open, sit-in-the-garden kind of weather. The hottest weekend so far this year. Friends came, I made the requisite mum's retro trifle they requested,  and  marinated tiny lamb chops and chicken legs in lemon juice, chilli, garlic and seasoning and a big bowl of tzatziki, Greek yoghurt with finely diced cucumber, garlic and onion. A's sister made sikh kebab with lamb and minced onion, and we all ate far too much with lovely Persian flat bread and leafy green salads. 

In-between I started a new knitting project, we watched The Station Agent and sneaked in lunch at a little Egyptian cafe. Perfectly succulent, mildly spiced chicken tagine with toasted almonds, warm bread and lots of fresh peppermint tea. 

And when 'A' was making his famous thin Italian style pizzas I asked him to make mine with spelt flour.  It worked amazingly well, wasn't too hard as I suspected it might be and I think tasted even better than the usual white flour. This is how he made them:

Italian style thin base spelt pizza.

Ingredients for two pizzas:

• 150g of spelt flour. I like Dove Farm organic spelt.

•  One tsp of dried yeast
•  A good pinch of fine sea salt
•  Warm water
•  A tiny bit of honey or brown sugar to feed the yeast...about half a teaspoonful.
• Two tablespoons of olive oil.

Topping:

• Tomato puree
• Olive oil
• One mozarella cheese per person
• Toppings of choice

Method:

1.Put the yeast and honey into a cup and cover with tepid water. Leave for about ten minutes to proof.

2.Place the flour and salt into a large baking bowl. Add the yeast mixture and  a little olive oil  and mix. Continue adding more tepid water until the dough feels nice and soft. Knead for about ten minutes.

3.Cover and leave somewhere warm until it doubles in size.

4.Heat up the oven to hot putting pizza stones in if you have them. Knock back the dough, divide into two halves and make into a ball then roll and stretch into a circle. Place onto a pizza baking pan. The ones with small holes in the base are really good for making a nice thin crisp pizza if you don't have a pizza stone. Reduce the heat to 200c and put the pizza into the oven to bake for about five or six minutes depending on size just to crisp up the base.

5. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables for topping by de-seeding and slicing finely.

6. Take a little of the tomato puree and mix with a drizzle of olive oil. Spread the pizzas with some of this mizture.

7. Break up one ball of mozarella cheese and cut or tear into chunks and place on the base.

8. Top with any slices of sausage, eg salami or chorizo or pepperoni, or smoked salmon.

9. Finally top with the vegetables, sweet pepper etc. and place on top.

10.  Return to the oven and bake for a further few minutes until the cheese has melted and the other ingredients heated through thoroughly.

Sharing weekends over at Amanda's, The Habit of Being.

The May Day Book

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... rain is drumming on the windows and making blossom fall off the cherry tree like confetti. Wind has blown the honeysuckle off the top of the garage so it hangs down like a big old green beard.

I am thinking...that I should go and do some gardening... that poached eggs on toast would be good for breakfast.

I am thankful...that everyone's home this weekend, tucked up and safe...

In the kitchen...there's freshly baked Three Seed Spelt Bread and Banana Loaf.

I am wearing...comfy clothes. A  stripy mustard and white T-shirt, cut-offs and hand knitted socks.

I am creating...I'm knitting a shawl in soft Katia Bamboo yarn, but it's a Quince and Co pattern, not mine, so I don't know if that counts. But I've lots of creative ideas bubbling away inside my head at the moment, artwork and recipes and book making projects.  

I am going...to a swap shop at Orinoco (Oxford  Recycling   Store)...That's If I get a riddle on before they close. 

I am wondering...what to make for supper. 

I am reading...The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson.

I am hoping...that I get time to curl up on the sofa with my Lida shawl and manage to knit at least three consecutive rows of it without unravelling any.

I am looking forward to...nephews' CD release gig in London on the 30th.

I am learning... slowly...that it's good to listen more, and talk less...

Around the house...edible flower seeds are calling me to plant them...The packets are on the table ready to be opened but the weather doesn't exactly encourage me to do so. 

I am pondering...whether to go to the Fine Art, Degree Show Preview at my old university or stay at home and do some drawing instead... 

A favourite quote for today... "...walk in the rain, smell the flowers, stop along the way, build sand castles, go on field trips, find out how things work, tell stories, say the magic words, trust the universe." Bruce Williams

I saw that on a cushion this week. Busy times make me want to slow down and build metaphorical sand castles....I miss being impetuous...

One of my favorite things...is behind me now on the study wall. A small hand stitched piece of fraying cotton fabric. "I LOVE YOU" stitched in wool with big running stitches by a little hand, now grown large. 

 A few plans for the rest of the week: 

• Plant seeds and trim the honeysuckle beard

A peek into my day...

linking to The Simple Woman's Daybook

nice spring things and an everlasting meal

 

The garden has been slow to wake up this year.  It's been looking a bit dishevelled. Like a little old man with a five o'clock shadow.  But then May came, the skies turned blue, the sun shone and all the roots and shoots and blossoms began to grow. The garden seems all fresh and new again...Well nearly.

I've been reading: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, that makes me want to visit a Finnish island. Re-reading, The Russian Master and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov and dreaming about beautiful 19th century  muslin dresses. I'd forgotten how passionate and romantic and perfect for Spring his stories are. And An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler, recommended by Tracey at Clover. How well she seems to know me. It suited me down to a T. Thank you.

It's making me do things a little differently, like roasting broccoli. Something I've never done before. In olive oil with a little garlic and salt and pepper. Then serving with peanut sauce that's much lighter than my usual coconut milk one. The sauce was recommended too, by Karen of Pumpkin Sunrise. It's lovely and zesty with the juice of an orange and lemon. I added warm chick peas to the broccoli and ate with a simple salad of radish and red onion, dressed with lime. 

I used my new sweet enamel jug. A gift from sister P,whilst reading card from sister J after carrying shopping home in bag made by sis B...I must takes some photo's and show you. She makes the most beautiful bags. 

I bought the Lida shawl pattern from Quince and Co and because it's ages since I've knitted any lace, I practised the pattern with a remnant of yarn. It seems easy so hopefully shouldn't take too long to make. (Famous last words...)

And I've been downloading the most beautiful photographs. I had an unexpected trip to an amazing museum...that inspired so many drawings and makes me want to make lots of beautiful clothes...I'll share the photo's later.

...the weather forecast is good and the bank holiday weekend and visitors beckon. Hopefully I'll have time to dash to the yarn shop before they come...

Hope the sun shines for your weekend too....

debx

Secret Gigs, All Night Fruit and Veg Raids and Melt-in-the-mouth Chicken

 

 

Wow it's been mad busy, but fun too with lots of cool weekends. One in London catching up with family and friends where we were treated to really good Persian take away food one day, and a BBQ with melt-in-the-mouth-chicken the next. Introduced to the seed of an idea for all-night joint adventures to Spitalfield's Market, where the London restaurants source fresh produce. It didn't take long for that one to germinate with me. I can't wait for a midnight market forage...

Another weekend began with a secret gig in a student house that was being filmed for SOFAR...(Song for a room) Where four bands, including nephews'  band, More Like Trees were performing. Next day spending time together with the family by the river. Returning to the house with lots of meal time around the big old table, and best of all a house full of more live music thanks to one of nephew's staying over...Perfect...excuse my blurry filming and rough audio...

In-between-times, having to miss an exhibition preview that I was involved with and  been asked to talk to local press about. But didn't really mind - (missing the talking to the press bit that is...I probably would have said something stupid and then regretted it forever.) I'll try and catch the exhibition next week and share it with you. 

...and  now I'm planning a quiet one. It's just me and 'A' this weekend...H is away. A hot bath and a good book are calling me...oh and slightly harrowing but compelling Icelandic film and Swedish drama series and A's awesome pizzas...

But before I go...here's the scrumptious chicken recipe I managed to cadge in London...with a surprise ingredient.

Melt in the Mouth BBQ Chicken.

Ingredients:

• Chicken legs or portions on the bone
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Enough yoghurt to cover the chicken
• Sliced onions
• Mayonnaise 
• Saffron
• Turmeric
• Crushed garlic

Method:

1. Place the chicken into a large vessel and cover with all the other ingredients. Marinate for as long as you can, preferably overnight.
2. Barbecue and then serve with salads mint and cucumber yoghurt and nan bread. 

This is the most succulent barbecued chicken I've ever had. Yoghurt or buttermilk is the only thing that I think actually tenderises meat and somehow the mayonnaise helped even more. Of course you can spice it up to suit your taste. 

Hope you have a good one...

debx