Christine is in Turkey for a week, so it’s just Milo and me which means I get to play around with healthy and refined versions of kid food to keep us both happy. Last night was a good example; I used the leftover mashed sweet potatoes and a chicken carcass to make a shepherd’s pie with a cornucopia of garden goodies. The chicken made a simple broth, while kabocha squash, carrots, onion, leeks, scallions, radish, potatoes, celery, and herbs (all from the garden) had a quick sautée, sprinkle with flour, and then addition of broth to bubble and thicken. Poured into glass dish, topped with mashed sweets, and baked, it hit all the right creamy comfort notes while still being super-healthy (and the squash and potatoes were perfectly al dente.)
There’s little that’s less photogenic than shepherd’s pie, so I’ll make do with the bread I made yesterday morning. I did the full recipe in the big Dutch oven this time, and it worked really well; the sides gave the loaf good height and shape, and the steam before I took the lid off made for the best crust yet. The only trick is leaving it in the oven long enough, since it requires a lot more time to bake through than the smaller size.
Wow, Peter, that’s a gorgeous loaf! Was it white or wheat?
The pre-ferment was white, and the rest was half whole wheat/half rye.
Killer! I used to make my own white bread (conventional sandwich loaves)because nothing I could get in the stores was satisfying but I never attempted much other breads.
Hamelman’s Bread is a good place to start for learning some seriously great stuff. There’s nothing like the real thing.
Thanks, Peter, I’m contemplating retirement in a few months and I might actually have time to bake bread, then.