How do you start these things...?

Right- I’ve just realised having ‘launched’… this (lol, how big time am I making it sound?) that I’m not sure where I’m going with this ‘newsletter’ thing - and I have no idea what I’m doing on Substack- so bear with me…

I’ve considered setting up a website/newsletter/a platform-y thing for ages, I’ve faffed about so many times, I have these wild and wonderful ideas,  and then just feel incapable of actually starting them, or that it’s too greater burden to commit to because I’ll just end up not being able to fulfil my objective or (more importantly) your expectations… plus, fairy crucially, I have zero patience or confidence in my ability with technology stuff so I generally just give up and feel a bit worthless…

So, first bit of advice, expect nothing from me in this newsletter - without expectation, there’s less chance of you being disappointed- which also puts my mind at ease (a bit)!!

For now, while I’m prioritising looking after my physical & mental health, I’m considering this a little diary… ‘The comfort chronicles’… I would like to think I will submit an entry (into your inbox) once a week- but let’s not set anything in stone, because then I will stress (see above)! It will include some of the things that have provided me with some comfort, from random encounters, to recipes, tv programmes, books or I don’t know, some random very useful kitchen utensil - a spatula is an essential by the way and this one (as well as the spoon version) is next on my shopping list! It may not be all be fun and games, because, let’s face it, that’s not life (not my life anyway) but a series of the little big things that have perked me up a bit during the week.

Should I start with this week? I probably should Or I never will , so here goes… (also, quick disclaimer… this page has been set up for a little while - I have procrastinated (a lot) over sharing it, which means I’ve somewhat paraphrased - above - what I have written over on the ‘about section’ so… once again - sorry and bear with me - I’m scatty!)

My week of comfort

STANLEY TUCCI

OK, so I’ve heard of Stanley before in a foodie context, but I didn’t really know his story - I certainly hadn’t made the connection that he was the legend in Devil Wears Prada - I know, I need to get with it!

Anyway, I had seen an advert for his documentary ‘Searching for Italy’, and I saw that it was about food so I was immediately sold - because Italian cuisine is the best, is it not? So I got stuck in… and managed to watch virtually the whole series in one night. I’m now in love with the man, his passion for food, his knowledge, his incredible journey through life including challenges and heartbreak, & generally, his infectious zest for life.

Besides visiting Italy again, (preferably with him!), next on my hit list is to watch the film he wrote and directed: ‘Big Night’ and I *need* his latest book “TASTE”.

If you haven’t heard of Stanley, go and find him and if you have and adore him as much as me, let’s chat!!

SOURDOUGH

I know this was one of the many things that got us through lockdown… but apparently it’s now getting me through life. I hadn’t baked a sourdough loaf in ages, in all honesty, I was kind of daunted by the prospect - it’s just so sensitive to every blooming thing that I couldn’t cope with the uncertainty… until this week when I took the plunge.

I carried out some dedicated sourdough starter feeding so that he was nice and bubbly, and set about on my loaf - ironically, I complete lost track of my timings and ended up shaping it a little prematurely, I then free-styled a bit and left the dough out at room temperature (shaped and in its bed - a proving basket) for a good hour or two just to give it a little extra prove time before refrigerating it until the next morning.

My new trick was to spritz a little water into the dutch oven ( I use my Mums beloved 40 year old Le Creuset casserole dish) before baking for 30 mins at 220C Fan, lid off and bake for a further 10 minutes. Now, I’m not one to blow my own trumpet but this was my best yet - the oven spring was enormous, the crust was crisp but not such that it shredded your mouth to pieces or worse still scratched your throat - been there, I also went to hospital with it - don’t laugh!! - the crumb was hole-y and soft and the sourness was subtle. A pure comfort source from start to finish. The recipe was really just a variation on the famous Tartine recipe, it’s a 75% hydration dough and I’ll be honest, things get a bit mess - if you haven’t tried Sourdough before, just go easy on yourself; ‘pancake’ style doughs are entirely likely to begin with, but you will grasp it, just make notes of what you do, observe and maybe watch the odd you-tube vid, buy a book if you want to geek out on it - the Tartine book is great, and enjoy it. The approximate I used method and went like this - I haven’t provided huge detail into the technique but you can find this everywhere on the internet/via social media:

Ingredients

450g Strong white bread flour
30g Strong Wholemeal bread flour
20g Spelt flour
10g Sea salt
100g active sourdough starter (should float in water if it’s good to go!)
375ml warm water - 25-30 degrees if you’re measuring.

Method

Measure 350ml of the water & starter into a large bowl - mix a bit to combine. Add the flours and combine to form a shaggy dough. Autolyse (or rest) for 20-30 minutes. Once autolysed, add the remaining 25ml water and salt and squeeze it into your dough - it takes a little bit of work but will come together in the end. Once incorporated, transfer to a plastic tub and leave for 30 minutes in a warm environment.

After 30 minutes, carry out your first stretch and fold - as you can see in the linked video, the technique is really quite simple, it is is an alternative technique to intensive kneading and with periods of rest, generates the doughs gluten structure - just make sure you dip your hand(s) in a little water to stop the dough from sticking to you.

Repeat over the next 2 -2.5 hours so that you have done 4-5 stretch and folds - be more gentle with the latter. Leave for 1.5 hours (technically I think I should have left it for a further 2 hours here but bear with me, my maths failed me!)

Carefully tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. pre-shape using a bench scraper. Allow to rest covered for 20 minutes before shaping and placing in a proving basket or tea-towel lined bowl. I then left mine out at room temp for around 1.5-2 hours or until it was noticeably risen (this goes against the general trend but worked for me). At this point I transferred it to the fridge and left it overnight to prove slowly. For shaping the dough, again, I recommend watching a few videos, practice also helps of course - doeshebakedough is fab for little quirky & very useful videos.

The following morning, remove the dough from the fridge and leave out while the oven heats up. Place a dutch oven (or Le Creuset equivalent casserole pan) inside the oven (if you have one - I thoroughly recommend if you want to produce A* sourdough loaves), then preheat to 240C/220C fan. Once it’s HOT (about 20 minutes or so), remove your pan from the oven, turn the dough out (either onto a piece of parchment to help you transfer it to the pan or straight into the pan if you are brave - be careful, there’s a lot of ‘hot-ness’ going on here!). Slash the dough with a lame or some sort of sharp implement (score intricately if you have the patience)- before carefully transferring to the pan, spritzing with water and immediately adding the lid to trap in that steam. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for a further 10-15 minutes (I did just 10) or until golden and wonderfully crisp. Leave to cool COMPLETELY on a wire rack before tucking in.

SAVOURY CRACKERS/BISCUITS (For cheese)

I’m not sure whether this is a bit ‘basic’ but I’m quite a savoury biscuit/cracker addict - even the dry ones, I can really take an arid savoury biscuit any day! There is a stall at Borough market called The Cracker Kitchen, Mum and I were big fans when we visited. During lockdown, I set out on a mission to replicate their wizardry… I don’t think I can rival them but these are pretty damn good, vegan and super simple- a few of you over on instagram have been asking for the recipe so here goes:

Ingredients

100g plain flour
100g Water
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1tsp Nigella seeds
45g mixed sunflower/pumpkin/sesame/flaxseed
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil

To top
~ 30g mixed seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 195C/175C fan. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and seeds in a medium sized bowl. Add the water and oil and mix thoroughly to combine. Dump the mixed very wet dough out onto the lined baking sheet, spread super thin with a palette knife - a rectangle around 32x24cm is good. Sprinkle with the extra seeds and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. After about 20 minutes, I carefully peel the bendy part baked biscuit off the parchment and flip it over - not entirely necessary but I find it helps dry it out more evenly. Once nice and golden, remove from the oven, allow to cool on the tray - it may still be a little bendy in places, but as it cools, becomes snap-able (think I’ve just invented a word there) - so snap it into wonderfully irregular sized pieces and enjoy with your favourite cheese, I love a creamy soft one with these!

MISCELLANEOUS (but very important) OTHER wonderful things

Firstly - a shoutout to the nurses, radiographer and phsyio who treated me on Wednesday - I’m doubt any of you will read this but you were all just DELIGHTFUL! I had a fairly routine set of tests/appointments but I get really REALLY nervous (about everything), and they were all incredibly kind and compassionate, in fact, I would go as far as to say I quite enjoyed my morning! (For context, I’m having a number of check-ups at the moment for some ongoing health issues, I may - one day - provide a bit more info on this - in you’re interested - as I suspect a few people may relate and find my experience vaguely informative!)

Second, a couple of delightful people that I chatted to in work on Saturday - Xana - you were a dream, if you read this, we need to walk, talk & coffee again soon! And Sophia, I know you are going to be the best baker EVER - Junior Bake Off should have their eye on you for sure!

Third, my foodie discovery of the week - little pod - specifically their natural vanilla paste but the coffee and chocolate extract are also THE DREAM. They also have a wonderful story - if you haven’t heard of them, get involved!

Finally, and most important of all - the biggest love, appreciation and just AWE for Deborah James - a truly inspirational, heroic Woman - the things she has done for cancer patients, research, fundraising and so much more, is just beyond words, she also personally helped & supported me and my wonderful Dad during his battle with cancer which I was eternally grateful for. If you haven’t already, listen to her final ‘You Me & the Big C’ podcast here, read more of her story on the BBC & in her Sun column here, and you can donate to the BowelBabe fund here… and do as she says:

‘Find a life worth enjoying, take risks, love deeply, have no regrets and always, always have rebellious hope.’

IN THE DIARY

Next week marks two MOMENTOUS days - World baking day (17th May) andInternational Tea Day (21st May)! Both are of course a BIG DEAL. I have baked some teacakes* to mark both - I figure this is the epitome of efficient baking because they are a bake, specifically a bread bake which is IMO the best type of bake, there is tea in the ingredient list, and tea OBV accompanies a teacake. I will share the recipe on my Instagram some time this week!

*not the chocolate marshmallow-y ones, the far superior in my opinion, fruit bread ones, which you toast and lash in butter!

Right I’m quite sure you will have given up reading by now, can’t blame you - if this is really dull, apologies! I’ll do my best to live up to my word and send out another of these next week some time, if not, sorry in advance.

Have a wonderful week. X