The Stripy Cat....

My Stripy Cat enjoying the view

Yesterday I  raged war on a loaf of bread... the Stripy Cat. The loaf is made as a normal soda bread is made: flour, salt, sour milk, baking soda, sugar, egg and a special ingredient... CHOCOLATE! I made a 'Spotted Dog' which included sultanas and yesterday I decided to make the Stripy Cat. Everything was going well until I added the chocolate.... my fatal error.... I didn't weigh the chocolate, I just threw a handful (or two) into the dough. My bread went in the over and baked and baked and baked.... usually when bread is finished baking its light and sounds hollow when tapped. My Stripy Cat didn't seem to want to bake... it baked for over an hour until I couldn't wait anymore.... to my delight and slight horror there was chocolate everywhere.. I put in way too much and my Stripy Cat nearly became nearly just a Black Cat. It did taste delicious though.

Peasant Soup

Besides the Stripy Cat I made a Peasant Soup. Bacon, onions, potatoes, garlic, chicken stock and tomatoes. It turned out tasting horrible... like a chunky bland tomato soup. It is amazing what time and a lot of salt does to a soup. I left it simmering for a while and added pinches and pinches and pinches of salt until I could finally taste everything in the soup besides the tomatoes. It was a totally different soup in the end and turned out to be kind of tasty. I finished off the morning cutting and frying French Fries. :-)

Today was lecture day and we had a gentleman come and speak to us about spices. He has his own business called Green Saffron. He imports delicious fresh spices direct from the farms in India. He sells them raw and also mixes them and provides recipe ideas. It's such a simple business idea and he does so well. Its amazing to see how different spices are when they are fresh and organic. We are so use to what we see in grocery stores we have no idea what real food looks or tastes like anymore. If I've learned anything during my time here its the importance of knowing where my food comes from. Don't trust labels, read ingredients, ask questions, support local farmers and don't assume you don't like something because you've probably gotten used to eating a genetically modified version of it. Its been six weeks and i'm starting to see a change in the way I shop and eat .... I hope when i'm out of the bubble I can maintain a healthy organic lifestyle though I think once you've tasted real food it will be hard to go back to processed.

Kitchen 3

Tomorrow we will be back in the kitchen. I find cooking in the morning really therapeutic. I enjoy slicing dicing and kneading. I need to choose a bread to bake maybe a brown yeast bread again... or sour dough?

Good night!