Hearty Fare

Bread. Crusty, chewy, solid loaves. Chunks of cheese, small but rich. And of course, barrels of wine. Wines in goblets. Wines in flasks.

This hearty fare….wrecks me in almost every book I read. While tending to be more common in medieval/fantasy-esque settings, this type of fare appears in so many settings. It’s never touted as the centerpiece of the chapter, of course, but it augments the context like nothing else. It invites in a world where food is life. It’s not fancy, nor delicate. It serves the purpose that it’s meant to serve. It’s hearty. It’s simple. It’s everything.

There’s something so coarse and rough about this style of food, which enhances its’ functionality. No, it’s not purely for survival, there is some refining of taste. But beyond the “good”, there isn’t much pushing. The food is nourishment. It’s a way to fill bellies after a battle, a journey, a quest. It’s something that can evolve into a feast, with roasted meats, cakes and pies, and even fruit, if the event calls for it. But those occasions are rare (but scrumptious, nonetheless). Those feasts are made even more transcendent, fantastical, and utterly extravagant, when compared to the common fare.

“At the inn, food was readily available, in the form of a modest wedding feast, including wine, fresh bread, and roast beef” [Outlander, Gabaldon, p 196]

While most feasts first transport me to a great hall, with stone walls and brightly lit torches, feasts can also occur on the road. As Claire travels with the MacKenzie clan to collect rent, they happen upon a treat – [Gabaldon, p 144] “One of the men had killed a deer that morning, and a portion of the fresh meat, cooked with turnips, onions, and whatever else he could find, had made a delicious dinner”. Wow. Okay, so that sounds like some 18th century medley that is fragrant af. Pleeeeease let there have been some chunks of bread to go with that.

To a dark horse of the ‘hearty fare’ category.. can we talk about drammach? It’s a dish of simple, and sometimes desperate means – it consists of oats mixed with cold water. Kind of an, un-cooked, cold, sludge version of oatmeal? This comes up in Outlander a few times as well — drammach is there a reserve staple when times are tough and fresh meat is lacking. It’s mentioned that Jamie keeps a bag of oats in his saddle bag… so while this may not be the tastiest/best cooked thing, the fact that it’s utilitarian wholey, easy to care/prepare, makes me want to go on a journey that will takes week to complete, ride a horse the whole way (which is much more painful than it sounds), and eat drammach when my traveling companions and I are unable to bag anything else for our supper. Weird, I know. But sounds like it could be — interesting? Fun?

On a completely different note from the uncomforting and utilitarian ‘drammach’, I have to talk about broth. This appears so many times in throughout the outlander series, and quite literally is used as a food to give life to the weak and healing. Unlike drammach, however, it’s function is utilitarian, but serves another purpose as well. It represents care and love. It is the functional version of a cool damp cloth, wiping your fevered neck and forehead. It is like a fresh, piping-hot bed warmer, in a chilly, drafty bed. It is love and medicine, in the most beautiful combination. As Claire and Jamie go through moments of sickness, injury, and overall depletion in health, broth is always deployed first as a way to hydrate, nourish, and soothe the the ailing body (AND MIND). In addition to me simply loving soups in general, the functionality of broth blows me away. So. Much. Thank you to the lord for gracing us with soup and broth.

This topic will come up again, I’m sure. I can’t wait to continue on this journey.

IS JON SNOW TRASH? DON’T BOTHER READING ON, THE ANSWER IS YES.

THE THINGS I DO FOR LOVE (SOUP).

Spoilers below:

GoT’s episode 2 aired last night, and it featured a number of wholesome, hearty interactions between some of our favorite characters: Arya and Gendry, Jamie and Ser Brienne, Tormund and Jon, ARYA and GENDRY ;)…

Before we move on to one of the tastiest* scenes of the whole episode, can we talk about Tormund “Giantsbane” and his giant’s milk story? Not to mention, the drink that he slugged all over him also looked a little too cloudy to be ale or wine… could it be some milk to-go? Oh, Tormund. He really lifted us up with that hearty hug with Jon, but he re-grounds us quickly.

Now, Arya and Gendry GOT IT ON. Arya was a complete baddie, as she always is, but she shows us a completely different side to her assertive, confident, and altogether badass self. Gendry thought he had seen it all (the dead PLUS three others). He had not.

Even with that sultry, assertive scene, however, it was not the only steamy element in Winterfell… hell yes, I’m talking about that soup (and bread hunks). Not only was it served in some nice wooden bowls with some fun spoons, but it must have been kept in some stone pots with vacuum insulation (Klean Kanteen level), because that soup was HOT. It was simmering, steaming, and straight up delicious looking. Coupled with those piles of bread hunks and the war preparation-weapon building-supply stockading- environment, it looked hearty as hell. Not too thick, but containing some definite tasty, bean-y, nourishing chunks, I’d fight for Winterfell with this soup in my belly. See below for the courage that hot soup gives me:

Sidenote: when Daenerys first started talking with Sansa, I was fully hoping for a kindred, p women bonding moment. Boo. Alas, we’ll have to wait for after the battle. Also, can we please see Daenerys eating? I think the last time she ate something was when she gnawed on a piece of horse jerky when she first started riding with the Dothraki. She did not look like she enjoyed it.

Ideal food scene: Jon, Dany, Sansa and Arya, all sitting at a wooden table (perhaps like the one in Castle Black, where Sansa first encountered the bleak cooking of the Watch), not only chowing down on a hearty soup, but also engaging in a heart-to-heart. :’)

A LITTLE OFF COURSE – MY STORY.

Hi, folks. As I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve been so focused on the stories that I read, and the accompanying dishes with them, that I’ve left myself a little behind in the dust. So, here I am, trying to give you a little more insight about me, my story, and of course, the accompanying dishes and treats ;).

While I always grew up with a love of baking, cooking was something that started to evade me in college. In fact, I started to hate it. I hated the feeling of urgency that started to build as my ingredients in the fridge started to lose their freshness – I hated the hours of preparation that proceeded a tasty, but ultimately un-special dish. I just hated it. Within the sphere of domestic care, I decided to stay in the zones of cleaning & baking. Ah, the perfect duo. Of course, cooking is a skill for life, one that all people need in order to care for themselves. Thus, I recognize its necessity.

However, as a soon-to-be college graduate – AH, how scary is that? – I find myself still relishing in pre-prepared meals (oh yes, this means frozen food) and take-out. I’ll adapt, soon. Soon, but just not yet.

In contrast to my cooking blockade, however, I LOVE FOOD! I know, I know, those two don’t have to go hand in hand, but it’s something that I’ve found passion for in the most unexpected venues. Books. While this sometimes extends to movies, books and the descriptions of food within books are what initially sparked and still continuously fuel my passion for food. Within the context of stories, food is used as a way to shape the journey, the context of everything our characters endure.

There is also a lot of love there. Seeing our weathered heroine feasting on a meal after a perilous journey brings a special type of joy and comfort – it soothes us, the reader, knowing that for that moment of reprieve, our beloved characters are content and soothed. In fact, they are more than content. Books and stories show us that we can not only live through our characters, but we can eat and experience food through them. In a way, finding joy through someone else’s joy is the purest and most untouchable form of joy, and it’s books that we have to thank for that. Every struggle and hardship becomes our own, but more importantly, so does every triumph and feast.

It is through our characters that we become something we never saw possible, see things that we never thought we’d see, and of course, experience food in a way that is simply impossible to in the world that we live in – it lives on in the deepest parts of our imagination, a place where there are no bounds. It’s a place where food becomes larger than life, as large as the story itself. Larger than it, in fact. This is a place where food becomes untouchable, protected by our love for it.

ELLA ENCHANTED.

Oh, Ella Enchanted. This book is a childhood favorite – from escaping danger, curses and enchantment, to a badass heroine who is witty, sharp, and altogether a total fighter, the delightfully unique and enchanting meals are simply the icing on top of the cake. That is, the birthday cake that Ella smashed hard on, both learning about her curse, as well as the fact that too much of a good thing is no good at all.

Where to begin? From a chronological perspective, we first encounter a healing meal of, (my favorite), soup!

“When I was almost fifteen, Mother and I caught cold. Mandy dosed us with her curing soup, made with carrots, leeks, celery, and hair from a unicorn’s tail. It was delicious, but we both hated to see those long yell0w-white hairs floating around the vegetables”.

I think this healing soup could HEAL ME (cue Lady Gaga from A Star is Born). Aside from the unicorn hairs, which honestly just strengthen the credibility of the soup as a healing soup for me, this soup sounds fresh as hell. The combination of the vegetables, and the title of “healing soup”, is more than enough to enchant me. This fits once more into that savory broth theme, light and clear, yet still full of flavor and depth. If Mandy was my cook, she’d be whipping up a batch of this soup every day. No question. Let’s continue on.

Unfortunately, Ella’s mother dies from illness (because she removed the unicorn hairs from the soup against Mandy’s orders). This is utterly devastating to Ella, and she is forced to put on a facade at the funeral in front of all of the guests. In particular, she is forced to entertain Hattie & Olive, the daughters of Dame Olga (they will soon be her step-sisters and main tormentors). At the funeral, however, these two evil sisters eat up a STORM at the feast. And honestly, I can’t blame them.

“We stood near the side table, which was loaded with mountains of food, from a whole roast hart with ivy threaded through its antlers to butter cookies as small and lacy as snowflakes. I wondered how Mandy had time to cook it all”.

Hattie & Olive go back and forth for a while, stating how they never eat at parties and have small appetites, but the KJ values (currency of Frell) of all the delicacies draw them in.

“A giant couldn’t eat half a leg of deer plus a huge mound of wild rice and eight of the fifty quail eggs and go back for dessert. But Hattie could.

Olive ate even more. Gooseberry tarts and currant bread and cream trifles and plum pudding and chocolate bonbons and spice cake — all dribbled over with butter rum sauce and apricot sauce and peppermint sauce”.

Hattie & Olive are monsters in many ways, but I honestly have to put some RESPECT on this feasting. I know, they scheme to consume the most expensive food, but with a spread like this, it’s hard to say no. The style of all this food is very magical and medieval-themed. Are you sensing a theme? That medieval-esque food was the BEEs KNEEs. From that succulent mound of rice, to all the rich pastries, this sounds like a feast to die for.

This book has SO so much more delightful food content. Here are just a few more examples:

“[Mandy] ‘Here, taste the carrot soup… How is it?’ My mouth opened automatically. The spoon descended and a hot — but not burning — swallow poured in. Mandy had gotten the carrots at their sweetest, carrotiest best. Weaving in and out of the carrots were other flavors: lemon, turtle broth, and a spice I couldn’t name. The best carrot soup in the world, magical soup that nobody but Mandy could make”. Mandy is a true queen in the kitchen.

Mandy doesn’t only make meals, she also makes supplements like tonic. Honestly, this tonic sounds like a treat: “tonic tasted nutty and good, but it felt slimy, like swallowing a frog”. The slimy part isn’t great, but hey, tonic is some magical medicinal supplement that helps Ella keep up her strength. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. And that nuttiness sounds great.

When Ella is being deprived of food, a kind innkeeper offers her a special treat: “The innkeeper was back with a place of thick brown bread studded with nuts and raisons. ‘Perhaps this will tempt the lass’s stomach’…I managed to take a big bite before a lady at the next table called him away”. This bread sounds hearty and rich as hell – perhaps with a golden, buttery crust and a dense but moist interior.

After Ella escapes from finishing school, she encounters elves and gives us our first description of elvish food: “Their supper was more drink than meal. The appetizer was lemon parsnip soup, followed by turtle barley soup (the main course), succeeded by a soup of chopped raw green vegetables (the salad course). Dessert was a fruit soup. It was all delicious, even though my jaw wished for something to chew on”. A liquid-only diet would be tough, and I can understand the want and need for substantial heartiness – however, this elvish meal may be the most delightfully refreshing liquid-only meal I can ever imagine.

Finally, Ella makes it to the wedding where she is looking for Lucinda, the fairy that ‘gifted’ her with obedience. However, this is no normal wedding. This is a wedding for two giants. And a giant wedding, means a giant feast: “I filled my place (a saucer as big as a platter) with a slice of potato, three foot-long string beans, and a ballon-sized cheese puff…the string beans and potato slice were easy. I held them in both hands and ate. Not so much the cheese puff. It oozed when I bit in, and half my face was covered with cheese”. Even though it’s just a string bean/potato combo, it’s size makes it sound even more delicious. Likewise, what is this cheese puff that oozes cheese? I would like one, please!

Ella Enchanted, indeed. With food this good, there’s no way it’s not enchanted. WITH NECTAR OF THE GODS (just kidding, it’s not god, it’s Mandy 🙂 ).

A NECESSARY SEGWAY. FOR THE THRONE.

This will be a slight deviation from the theme of the posts so far, but I think that it’s very necessary. It is a mere TEN DAYS until Season 8, the FINAL SEASON, of Game of Thrones is released. I cannot more fully express my excitement and fear for this event. I’m hungry for all material that each episode will give, but I’m also terrified of all the hurt that can occur in a mere span of seconds. This series holds so much power over me – power that can be used to hurt me.

After reading endless reviews and analyses, the one thing that we can be certain of are George R R Martin’s words concerning the ending: “bittersweet”. Ah. This gives us so much, yet SO little.

Also, as I’m thinking a little further, I realize that Game of Thrones does have significant relevance to this blog. After all, there are many fantastic feasts. And beasts. AND feasts for the beasts! By beasts, I mean Daenerys’s dragons. While their feasts may include her enemies, I can’t argue that they aren’t feasts for those (big) nugs. To each their own. :0

Wow, how the throne-iverse is in a wild tizzy right now in preparation for this season release (myself included). Please expect some crazed posts in the near future, as I’m sure emotions will be so high that I will need some outlet. For the next few weeks, the show content will be MY feasts. and I will not stop until the feast is over. :PPPPPPP

(This is me watching my heart and soul go up in flames after this series finale)

LASAGNA (STOUFFERS).

I know that I’ve already talked about frozen meals. Stouffer’s lasagna, however, has a special place in my heart.

It is a beauty amongst frozen foods – an extra sparkly gem in a sea of gems. It is comforting, it is homestyle, it is delicious! As Ted Mosby put it in How I Met Your Mother, “I have a Stouffer’s lasagna for one in the freezer that is going to be unforgettable” (S7, E21). What a night that sounds like.

From the compact dish that it’s in, to the zero clean up needed, it’s ALSO a hot, saucy, cheesy, and savory lasagna to boot. A Stouffer’s lasagna is more than just a frozen. It’s a lifestyle.

Am I currently starving at work and daydreaming about it? Perhaps. Do I mean what I say, regardless? Ab-STOUFFER-lutely.

PIES, PIES, PIES.

Pies are a very controversial dessert for me. In fact, they are my least favorite dessert EVER (and I love desserts…). As a savory treat, however, I’m in full support. Meat pies are a relic from civilizations long ago, from Egypt to Europe. They became a common dish in Europe during the medieval period, but even then, the thick crust and casing was often almost inedible, and used merely to preserve the food within. It wasn’t for a while until the crusts were rolled out with butter (the secret to any good dish, I say) and began to take sweeter forms of filling. Even with the tough crusts, however, the heartiness of a meat pie cannot be emphasized enough.

As we see in Game of Thrones, a series set heavily in a medieval period, food plays a large role in defining the scene and the class status for our characters – for most of the royal families in the south (ex. the Baratheon/Lannister household), food is abundant, and delicacies of meat and intricate pastries are common at most tables. I know, I’m talking about the infamous lemon cakes that Sansa loves so much. In the north (and on the wall), food is a little more survival-oriented. With less game available in the cold regions, food is often prepared in heartier manners. This means soups, stews, and pies.

Moving aside from the first pie that Arya makes (NOT the pie content of this post), we see Jon, Arya, and Sansa experience food in many ways. As Arya is escorted by the Hound, they have to fight for every meal they have. For one unfortunate but generous family family, this means cutting off prayers and ladling some thick stew into their bowls (& bellies). MM mmm. There is also a lot of bread hunks being teared off loaves (similar to Sirius Black in that cave..).

When Arya later travels on her own, she re-encounters Hot Pie at a local tavern (ah, what a fitting name). He serves her a meat pie, which she quickly devours. She only pauses to wipe her face with her hands, and down a mug of ale. Hot Pie notes, ‘”the secret is browning the butter before making the dough”. I trust that. Likewise, Arya’s raspy voice serves as a nice contrast to the crunchy crust she eats, and damn, that pie looks good.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL, but the actor who plays Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) has opened up a bakery with GoT themed treats. The name of this shop? “You Know Nothing, Jon Dough”. This is real.

*Non-pie example: When Sansa and Jon reunite at Castle Black, Sansa sips soup in front of a big fire and notes, “this soup is good”. Not much, but again, the vessel that the soup is being sipped from speaks volumes about its texture and flavor. It’s just a dark, round, stone bowl, but she holds it with two hands – she holds it like it’s a precious item. I’m imagining a steaming hot, savory broth, something to warm Sansa up after her long and hard travels. She is also freshly bathed, and just looks a world of difference from her previous state. Pair that with a hot broth, oh my, that’s the dream. I know, this is not a pie, but pies and hot stews are cousins, and broth/soup is just one more step away. Families stick together! Let’s hope that stays true for Season 8 & the Stargaryens…

PRE-MADE & PRE-PACKAGED

Tonight, as I was rewatching The Martian, the rationing that Mark Watney went through caught my eye. Packets and packets of heavily preserved food lined cartons in the cabinet. Yes, the food was rarely shown, with the exception of his Martian-grown potatoes, but through the compartmentalization of the meals, this made me think of airplane food, frozen meals, etc. These are all areas of food that people don’t generally like … but for some reason, I do.

Is it because there’s something innately homestyle and ‘American’ about these dishes? Is it because they’re both cheap and pre-made (for the anti-chef, me)? I’m not really sure. All I know, is, they’re good. 😮

2 examples just popped into my head. 1) Matilda. 2) The Host.

These are two very different books, with very different reasons that TV dinners/packaged meals are eaten. In Matilda, we see that her family is lazy, tasteless, and all together horrible. All that they do is sit in front of the TV and eat TV dinners (hm, should I take this as a warning?).

“They were all in the living-room eating their suppers on their knees in front of the telly. The suppers were TV dinners in floppy aluminum containers with separate compartments for the stewed meat, the boiled potatoes and the peas”.

In addition to this perhaps less popular meal, there are MANY other delightful food quips throughout Matilda, from hot drinks that Matilda takes up to her room while reading, the buttered bread she’s served by Ms. Honey, to that scrumptious and infamous chocolate cake. Keep an eye out for more on these later.

Second, in The Host, survival is always the most pressing issue. Especially living in caves, the access to fresh food (that is not grown by the residents) is scarce. After one particular health scare (that ends up being alright), Jeb decides to celebrate. He whips out a box of dehydrated food – I know, I know, not the same thing, but similar.

“Jeb let the unwieldy box falls onto the mattress. [Jeb] ‘Thought we might have a bit of a celebration. Dig in’…

‘Wow, yum!” Jamie said, pawing through the box of dehydrated meals of the sort that hikers used. ‘Spaghetti. Excellent’…

‘Dibs on the garlic chicken,’ Jeb said”.

Why is there something that sounds so appealing about a dehydrated meal? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s presented in a world where tasty treats are hard to come by (and processed food is missed dearly by the surviving humans)? Hm, what does this say about me, now? Pass on the frozen meals? No, thanks. 😉

AH, CHICKEN.

What a broad and extensive topic. Chicken comes up in so many meals and dishes, especially in many of the medieval-esque fandoms I love. One thing that always stands out about chicken, however, is it’s texture. While at times dry, yes, there is a hearty aspect to the common bird that often serves as a dish for the ragged and weary traveler. Paired with some wine, ale, or juice, it is the perfect dish that is both simple and divine. From Harry Potter, to Game of Thrones, chicken comes up multiple times (and with gusto, at that).

To start off, the image of Ron eating chicken (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) with a drumstick in each hand, is infamous. This little nugget is having the time of his life at the feast. There is hope.

Chicken also comes up many times in other feasts throughout the series. A particularly distinct scene comes up in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry, Ron, and Hermione bring food to Sirius while he hides out in the mountains near Hogsmeade (he’s just a concerned godfather who wants to keep an eye on Harry):

“The food Sirius had told them to bring was in Harry’s bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table….

[Sirius, after opening the bundle] ‘Chicken!’ he said hoarsely…

‘Thanks,’ said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chuck with his teeth” .

This portion contains only some of the chicken mentions, as Sirius continues to chow down as they all discuss Barty Crouch’s backstory (and his absence from the tournament). Funnily enough, no aspect of flavor or taste of the chicken is included. The texture and heartiness, however, is heavily emphasized. Poor Snuffles, he really does care about Harry. :’)

Lastly, to finish off on an even more comical note, chicken appears in a highly contentious environment (Game of Thrones). After stopping at an inn, Arya & the Hound are recognized and ordered back to King’s Landing. Oh boy, did they pick the wrong (hungry) Clegane to mess with. The Hound demands chicken:

“Bring me one of those chickens”.

After being further provoked, he adds, “Think I’ll take two chickens”.

Finally, after the soldiers insist on taking Arya, Clegane issues the famous proclamation (the one that echos in fast food commercials for years to come): “I understand that if any more words come pouring out of your – mouth, I’m gonna have to eat every fucking chicken in this room”.

I guess Clegane must really like chicken… no arguments from me. Get him a chicken!