With the pace of life so frenetic in our technologically-connected world, it is becoming increasingly important to take time to slow down when we can. Food is often considered in terms of time, cost, convenience, knowledge, and skills. But a close connection with food can be profoundly meaningful.
Whatever your circumstances and budget, small changes in how you source, prepare, and enjoy your food can be pleasurable and meaningful. Even if you don’t cook, the chore of shopping can be a joyful activity. Instead of trundling round a huge supermarket, bombarded with brands, marketing and packaging, why not try and pick up your fresh fruit and vegetables from a local market or farm? If you live near a “pick-your-own,” in a rural area, or near a parkland where foraging is permitted, why not pick and forage seasonal berries, greens and nuts? Learn what is edible and pick carefully; the experience of coming closer to the environment in which your food is grown can spark joy and imagination. Fresh ingredients are rich in nutrients and will taste better than you ever imagined.
When it comes to preparing meals, it can sometimes feel like an effort to even think about what to eat. On days like these, taking five or ten minutes to fully immerse oneself in a task like chopping offers a chance to slow down and refocus the mind, switching off the pressures of the day.
As a full-time food writer, it is my job to immerse myself in food. My overriding feeling is that despite all the ingredients, recipes and restaurants to discover, taste and test, my keenest interest lies in deepening my connection to the food I eat.
When I undertook professional chef training at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, I lived on an organic farm for three months, eating nothing but fresh food prepared from scratch. Ingredients were picked, pulled and cut first thing every morning, then taken into the kitchens to wash, prepare and cook. The flavors were a revelation, as was the feeling of connecting directly with the ingredients from field to fork. I will never forget how well I felt eating such great, high-quality, fresh food.
Returning home, I was unable to recreate the experience of farm life, but I felt an insatiable curiosity about traditional ingredients and had a desire to learn about culinary skills of the past. That led me to write a book, SMOKED, and my most recent book, FERMENTED. And it is with that in mind that I encourage you to find a few minutes, where possible, to slow down, too, and find a connection with the food you eat.
Smoked Venison Sausage Casserole
This is a lovely, easy recipe for a sausage casserole that is pretty much a meal in one dish. Smoked venison sausages are delicious here. This is a great recipe to feed the crowds.
Ingredients
- •6-8 smoked venison sausages
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
- •2 cloves garlic
- •400 grams (about 2 cups) best-quality canned tomatoes, chopped
- •400 grams (about 2 cups) canned butter beans, rinsed and drained
- •1 small glass (½ cup) red wine
- •500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- •Sea salt and black pepper
- •Pinch caster (superfine) sugar
- •2 bay leaves
- •2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Preparation
Start by pan-frying or barbequing the sausages to brown the skins. Set aside.
Separately, take a large, lidded metal pan and add the oil and garlic. Cook over a gently heat until the garlic smells fragrant.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and allow to bubble away for at least 15 minutes until it has thickened a little. Stir again, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and add the sausages. Place the lid on your pan and allow to cook for anything from 40 minutes to four hours. Serve on its own, with some great bread or potatoes and green vegetables.
Smoked Duck Breasts
Duck lends itself very well to smoky flavours. Hot smoking duck breasts in a stove top smoker is a quick way to smoke and transforms the meat into something incredibly special. Smoked duck breasts are especially good served warm or hot.
Ingredients
For the cure
- •4 duck breasts, skin on
- •30 grams (2½ tablespoons) Demerara sugar
- •30 grams (2 tablespoons) salt
For smoking
- •22.5 ml (1½ tablespoons) hickory, cedar or apple wood chips
Preparation
To prepare the meat for smoking, dry the duck breasts using kitchen paper. Make the cure by mixing together the salt and sugar, and rub this over the meat. Place in a covered container in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but you can leave it for longer if you like. Just before you are ready to smoke the meat, rinse to remove the cure and dry thoroughly.
Set up a smoker. When it is ready, add the duck breasts, cover and smoke for 30 minutes.
When the duck breasts are smoked, barbeque them until the skin is crisp. Duck can be eaten pink.
Tip: For extra crispy skin, score the skin at 1 cm (⅓ inch) internals using a small, sharp knife before pan frying or baking.
Smoked Duck Salad
Smoked Duck Salad with orange and Asian dressing is best when the smoked duck is added to the salad warm. The orange and Asian dressing make the dish unique.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- •50 grams salad leaves
- •2 large oranges, segmented and juice from the pith squeezed out and reserved
- •2 hot smoked duck breasts, sliced
For the dressing:
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) runny honey
- •Reserved orange juice
- •1 small clove garlic, crushed
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) Chinese five spice powder
- •1 cm (⅓ inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, finely grated
Preparation
For the salad: Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and add the orange segments.
For the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until blended. Set aside.
For assembly: Pour the dressing over the salad. Top with slices of duck breast and serve immediately.