Welcome to MotherFood cooking course
SESSION ONE: Preparing for postpartum
For me the experience of pregnancy and childbirth was the most powerful way to reconnect to my body, to recognise its needs and to admire its innate power & wisdom. So with this course I hope to inspire you to celebrate your body; to nourish it through delicious food as well as through the pure pleasure of eating and cooking. The postpartum period can be a challenging stage of parenting for many, as you navigate your new identity as a mother while trying to keep the most precious little human alive. In this session we explore some staple recipes which can be made in advance and be there to nourish you when you come back to your kitchen as a parent. Simple, and nutrient rich, these recipes are very versatile and I hope that they offer you a spring board from which you can customise and build your own meals adapting them to your own needs, as well as to various seasons.
Recipe ONE: Chicken stock & SOUP
click the image to play intro video
Makes 6-8 portions (200ml each)
3 litres of water
1 tbsp of black pepper corns
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tbsp of salt
3 bay leaves
2 onions, washed, skins on
2 carrots, washed, skins on
3 celery sticks
1/2 lemon
small bunch of parsley (or dill/coriander) stalks
+ you can add any other vegetable peels/left over bits, like leek tops and fennel fonds and outer skin
1 medium chicken or a carcass (you can ask your butcher for one, or use a leftover Sunday roast chicken) + 2 chicken legs with skin on
Method
To make a rich broth add all of the ingredients apart from 1 onion and 1 carrot into a large pot, bring to boil and simmer for 4 hours adding extra water as a lot will evaporate during the cooking. Discard the onion and carrot after two hours and replace them with the new batch to cook for the remaining time. This way the veggies will keep infusing the broth. Test your chicken: if the skin and meat come off very easily, it is ready. It’s essential to make sure that the chicken is cooked to its perfect, melt-in-your-mouth state.
Separate the chicken meat form skin and bones, and set aside.
Strain the broth through a sieve to extract pure stock that should be rich and golden in colour.
Make sure the broth is completely cool before you refrigerate or freeze it.
To freeze the broth, divide into portion sized containers or freezer bags. Freeze the chicken meat separately.
The broth will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. To defrost leave in the fridge overnight and consume within 2 days. Do not re-freeze or put back in the fridge once defrosted and heated up.
For a quick soup variation for 4
2 carrots, scrubbed clean
1/2 butternut squash, washed, skin on
a cup of lentils (cooked or dry)
1-2 tbsp of capers
1/4 lemon
1l of chicken stock
a small broccoli
2-3 large stems of kale
a large handful of parsley leaves
salt to taste, if necessary
Method
Cube that carrots and squash, leaving the skin on for extra fibre and nutrient boost.
Place in the pot together with lentils, capers and lemon.
Top with chicken broth, bring to boil and cook for 30-40 mins until the vegetables and the lentils are cooked. If you are using tinned cooked lentils then add them later together with the green vegetables.
Cut the broccoli into small bite-size florets.
Tear kale leaves into bite size chunks.
Roughly chop the parsley.
Add to the pot (reserving a small pinch of parsley leaves for garnish)
Cook for another 5 mins until the greens have softened but still have some bite, and retain their vibrant green colour.
Serve the soup with some shredded cooked chicken meat, a good cracking of black pepper and some parsley leaves.
For more soup recipe ideas check out my blog posts and my cookbook Salt and Time.
Recipe tWo: hummus
RECIPE
Ingredients
450g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100ml chickpea water reserved
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
1 lemon zested and juiced
200ml good virgin olive oil
2 pinches of flakey sea salt (Maldon salt)
125ml tahini
optional to flavour: 1 tsp of cumin powder, paprika, or turmeric (feel free to experiment!)
Method
Add the chickpeas to a food processor together with minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt.
Blitz for 1 minute until well incorporated but still chunky, at this point it won't yet blend into a smooth fluffy paste.
Then add the chickpea water. And blitz for another 30 seconds. Or you could feed the water into the processor as it’s blending.
Next add the tahini and blitz again for further 30 seconds. At this point the hummus will become light and silky.
Taste and adjust the flavour - add more salt and lemon, if you’d like.
Give it a final quick whizz and you are ready to serve.
Spread the hummus on a plate, top with a boiled egg, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some dukkah and smoked paprika. You can also add some tender stem broccolis, roast veg, and/or salmon to turn this snack into a substantial and delicious meal!
Store in a clean air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
recipe threE: Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut with fennel and apple
Makes 1 litre jar
1 medium white cabbage
1.5 tbsp of salt
1 fennel
2 green apple
1-2 tsp of toasted fennel seeds
a large handful of dill
Method
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut in quarters and slice thinly using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Massage the salt into the cabbage for a few minutes and leave to sit while you prepare the rest.
Remove the bottom of the fennel, cut in half lengthwise and mandolin or thinly slice from bottom up. Next, thinly slice the apple and add to the mixing bowl together with the fennel. The cabbage should have released a lot of juices by this point.
Roughly chop the dill and add it to the bowl along with fennel seeds.
Mix everything together thoroughly for about 5 minutes, massaging the cabbage, apples and fennel to ensure more juices are released.
Finally place your kraut mix into a sterilised jar or any glass container, packing each layer tightly to get rid off any air pockets. At this point more juices should be released and the cabbage should be submerged entirely in its own brine. To seal the jar, place a cabbage leaf on top of the brine and press down using fermentation marbles or make your own press by filling a little freezer bag with cold water and sealing tight. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 10-14 days. Once you are happy with the taste of the kraut, place the jar in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process. The ferment will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months if only you’d let it.
recipE four: Mama’s dukkah
This wonderful spice mix is the magic dust in my kitchen, not only does it add flavour and texture to so many dishes, it is also full of powerful nutrients selected specifically for the wellbeing of a new mother. Sprinkle it on top of hummus, savoury porridge or congee, add to salads or simply top a buttered toast with egg.
Makes aprox. 120g
2 tbsp of fennel seeds
2 tbsp of coriander seeds
2 tbsp of black pepper corns
2 tbsp of sunflower seeds
2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp of flax seeds
1 tbsp of sea salt flakes
Method
To make the dukkah toast all the seeds, apart from the flax seeds, individually on a pre-heated pan for 2 minutes or until they start popping and releasing their aroma. Roughly crush them in a pestle and mortar or using an electric coffee grinder. Process the sunflower and pumpkin seeds separately. Make sure the blend remains very textural and does not turn into a powder. Tip into a bowl. Add the flax seeds and salt. Mix all elements together. Cool down before placing in a glass airtight container. It will keep for up to 6 months.
The flavour wheel
This method allows you boundless creativity in the kitchen when you have a handful of key ingredients. Stock up your spice cupboard and the pantry, and you are in a possession of a magical flavour wheel which can ensure exciting and diverse dishes. The same set of ingredients can yield a huge variety of dishes, each new and different in flavour, when you have the right arsenal of spices, oils and condiments. Here are my 4 go-to flavour profiles, but feel free to experiment and broaden the spectrum. For example, a simple dish of roast salmon with veg can enjoy so much diversity when flavoured according to this wheel (see session two) or a simple chicken broth can be turned into a flavour-bursting soup when you add some boiled chicken, leafy greens and rice/pasta/noodles. Just pick a flavour profile!
PANTRY STAPLES
If you have at least one of the items in each group available in your kitchen on a permanent basis, there is always a nourishing meal available!
Silky: olive oil, coconut cream and oil, sesame oil, unrefined sunflower, ghee
Chunky: chickpeas, borlotti beans, red kidney beans, butter beans, lentils (red, puy and green), peas
Sweet: Honey, date syrup
Smooth: Tahini, peanut butter, almond butter
Sharp: raw apple cider vinegar, pomegranate molasses, capers, lemons
Crunchy: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, sourdough croutons
LABOUR FOOD SUGGESTIONS
Whether you chose to or can eat during labour depends on so many factors - from your personal state to the policies of the hospital, if you are giving birth at a hospital. The rule of thumb is to eat small sized, high-energy and easily digestible foods, and to make sure that you are well hydrated.
Light Drinks
Lemon, ginger, turmeric and raw honey infusion *
Raspberry leaf tea
Coconut water
Dates, cinnamon, cardamom infusion *
Smoothies
Green juice or smoothie (green apple, spinach, cucumber, mint, parsley, lemon)
Date smoothie (oat milk, dates, banana almond butter, a pinch of raw cacao powder)
Red berries and yoghurt smoothie
Snacks
boiled eggs
hummus and cucumber sticks
dates stuffed with almond butter
almond or peanut butter with apple slices
Dried fruit and nut bars or flapjacks
*to make the infusions place all the ingredients into a small pot, bring to boil and take of the heat immediately, let it cool at room temperature.
Foods to avoid
Any large heavy meals, as well as highly acidic foods and drinks - like orange juice, hot chilli sauces. But please do listen to your body to eat and drink the way that feels good for you and do rely on the advice of your health practitioner, of course.