FROM MY CAULDRON
By BAURUATHYWNIC
Longer grow the days, promising Spring in gentler climes than ours, yet still promising spring in our hearts. My dreams call for water, for fire, for earth and air within my garden. Over the course of too many years and too many moves I have left behind small oasis' of green, all with water in some form and a fire, whether it be pit or outdoor oven, all initially planned over hot bowls of soup, made and eaten in the cold days of February and March. Soup spoon in one hand, garden book in the other, smiling at the circle of the wheel as I savour last year's harvest and this year's planting.
Hot steaming bowls of soup, and breads fresh from the oven seem to be my staple diet, my body, I am convinced, demands simpler fare after the excesses of Yule. I keep a zipper bag in my freezer and save all the trimmings from the veggies: peels of carrots, onion skins, celery roots and leaves, stem ends of tomatoes, stems of parsley and broccoli, and all the odds and ends that I didn't eat, but refuse to throw out. When the bag is full, it is emptied into the crock pot, covered with water and simmered for 12 hours, then strained for stock. The muck that remains in my strainer finds its way to the compost, already pre-chopped and ready to start the earth magic all over again. I hoard the bones from roasts and the carcasses of fowls, the wingtips and backs of chickens for meat stocks, the cat getting the beef bones, the poultry bones being ground up and dug back into the garden.
Continually do I see the birth/death/rebirth cycle being repeated, over and again, once again reminding me of the wheel of our lives. As I sit, reading the mail, discovering a letter from my niece, complete with baby pictures, I see the face of my own baby pictures looking back at me, my sister's grandchild reflecting the same bones I wear. Wondering, 45 years from now, will she see her own bones in the face of her grandchild? Will we laugh together at baby pictures that don't change, no matter the years, as she moves toward crone and I look forward to child, once again? Will she be passing on recipes for black-turtle bean soup and cheese bread? Two of my gifts to you.
Black-Turtle Bean Soup
4 cups black-turtle beans
8 cups veggie stock(refer above for stock directions)
4 sticks celery, with leaves, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
8 carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, medium to fine chop
1 28 ounce (748ml) tin crushed tomatoes
salt & pepper
Simmer the beans until soft, in the stock. This will take 24 to 36 hours, as they seem to be very tough beans. The stock will turn navy blue: don't panic this is normal for these beans. Do not add salt at this time, it toughens the skins and causes really nasty gas. When the beans are tender, add the veggies and the salt and pepper and simmer until tender. Add the tomatoes and heat. The soup will be dark brown with big pieces of veggies and lots of beans. Note: if you serve this with cornbread, the corn and beans combine to form a complete protein.
Ham and Navy Bean Soup
1 Meaty ham bone
4 cups small white (aka) navy beans
1 medium onion, fine chop
4 celery sticks, medium chop
8 carrots, medium chop
1 28 ounce (784ml) tin diced tomatoes
Cover the ham bone with water and simmer for 8 hours. Put the pot in the fridge overnight, then lift off the fat and discard it. It is pure pork lard, but will be flavoured with the ham juices, so you may want to use it for other things where the ham flavour will compliment the dish. Take out the bone and strip the meat off the bone. Chop the meat in chunks and add back to the stock, along with the beans. Bring to a boil, cover for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 1 hour and then add the veggies and simmer until tender. Add the tin of tomatoes, heat and serve. Salt is not needed, as the ham will provide enough.
Herb-Cheese Bread
2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 egg
5 to 6 cups flour
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon dill weed
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Heat the first 4 ingredients until the margarine melts, then put in a large bowl to cool. Add the second amount of water, and the sugar to a small bowl and mix, then sprinkle on the yeast. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, beat in two cups of the flour. Add the yeast mixture and the egg and beat again. Stir in 3 more cups of flour. Add the last cup of flour in 1/4 cup bits until you can work the dough with your hands. Sprinkle a large surface with flour, turn out the dough, tie on an apron and knead. What? You cry. What is knead? It is really simple: the bread dough will be in a lump, so put your hands around it the way you do a cat that you want to pick up. Cup the dough with the palms of your hands and lift it toward you, using your fingers to push the dough over on itself. Turn your hands over and push down with the heel of your hands, at the same time. Keep doing this until the dough becomes smooth and feels elasticity.
You may need more flour as you knead. If the dough sticks to your hands, sprinkle the dough and the board with a bit more flour. Put the dough back it it's bowl and cover it.
Let it rise until it doubles in size, then punch it down. That's right, beat it well. If you leave air bubbles, you will have holes in your bread. Turn the oven on to 400F. and grease a cookie sheet. Divide the dough into 3 parts and roll each part into a rope. Braid the ropes, and tuck the ends under each other, and pinch them together so that they don't come apart. Place on a cookie sheet, diagonally. Smear some soft butter or margarine on to the braid, generously covering the top. Sprinkle on the grated cheese, patting it down to keep it on the braid. Then sprinkle on the dill and sesame seeds. Cover and let it rise to double again, then bake for 30 to 35 minutes until it is golden brown. This bread tears better than it cuts, especially when it is warm.
I love making bread when I am having a frustrating day; the more I knead, beat, and punch, the finer the texture of the bread and the better I feel. Plus the magic of bread always soothes the rough edges, reminding me of the priorities I choose to place in my life. I often lean forward, arms on the table, watching the yeast bloom. I hold bread making workshops in my kitchen and the look in peoples' eyes when they watch this simple magic, is well worth any work involved.
Merry Eat and Blessed Be.
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