Baker's Yeast

Slowly, the yeast starts budding

The Egyptian smiles in her baking chamber

On this warm day, she has lifted the souls

Of the evocative fungi and an eager bread

Four thousand years ago, she left its traces

On her grinding stone for man to discover

His first domesticated being and a series of experiments

To brew his beer and leaven his bread

Sweet fermented bread

Golden crusts and ubiquitous pockets

Like secret caves or a string of swallows’ nests

Soft and tender crumbs

In the supermarket, I buy a packet of these

Live cells packed in thick inert jackets, and

I think as I dissolve the oblong beige granules

When the dough is baked, the yeast will die

Pumpkin Patch

I hated pumpkin as a child. In fact, I completely disliked food and mealtimes. There was wholesale rejection of vegetables, and even cubes of fried chicken could make me scorn. My parents, of course, had strict eating rules at home. No nagging. No snacking. And no leftovers in plate.

All that changed once I started cooking my own food. Suddenly, I was in control. There was a great sense of pride, even with disasters. I knew exactly what I was putting in, and where it came from. And my appreciation for different ingredients, vegetables and protein has only grown since then. Today, I am always looking to try something different with what’s in my fridge. Somehow, things did not get curiously different just in the kitchen but elsewhere in life too.

Back in the kitchen, few things have lent themselves so easily to everything from Pies and Cookies to Soups and Mains like the humble Pumpkin. Pumpkin is so versatile and delicious, and also very good for you. It is a great source of fibre, potassium and Vitamin C. And pumpkin seeds are not just spectacular, crunchy additions to a dish but fantastic for health. It is a nutritional powerhouse wrapped up in a very small package. And I always thought my mother was just being her utilitarian self when she served roasted pumpkin seeds with Dal and Rice at lunch. With such impressive nutritional value and equally great taste, how could you not want to try to incorporate it in different ways in your culinary creations?

Last weekend, I wanted to attempt a Stromboli. The recipe I was following called for Salami, Cheese and Basil. I decided to go with a vegetarian version and use Roasted Pumpkin, Cheese and Sage instead. I am sharing the recipe below. Next year maybe, I’ll try to carve a grinning jack O'lantern.

Ingredients:

1. 500 gms all purpose flour
2. 2 teaspoons active dried yeast
3. 1 teaspoon sugar
4. 2 teaspoon sea salt
5. 3 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
6. 350 ml lukewarm water
7. 100 gms thinly sliced pumpkin (long strips, preferably)
8. 175 gms mozzarella cheese chopped
9. A few Sage leaves
10. Freshly ground black pepper
11. A few pumpkin seeds

Method:

1. Mix the flour and the salt. Slowly combine the active yeast and water to the flour mixture until the dough is soft. Rest it for an hour, or until doubled in volume.
2. Knead lightly for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Cover and leave for 10 mins more
3. Roast the pumpkin slices in a tbsp. of olive oil and a pinch of salt
4. Roll out the dough to a rectangle about 1 inch thick
5. Spread the roasted pumpkin slices, mozzarella and sage over the dough. Season with black pepper and drizzle some olive oil on top
6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a baking tray.
7. Roll the dough up firmly from the long side, pinch the ends and place on the baking sheet. Join underneath. Cover and leave for 10 minutes
8. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top and pierce the roll deeply several times with a skewer. Brush with oil and sprinkle some salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until firm to touch. Cool on a wire rack
9. Cut into thick slices and enjoy!