First Feast

We LOVE Game of Thrones. To be honest though, we haven't read any of the books. Joe is reading the first one, sort of, and I would love to read them all but it's taking me months to finish the one book I started way back in June. So admittedly, we're not hard core fans of the whole series, although I have a sneaking suspicion we would be. 

We had heard about a cookbook based on the series on NPR one day and decided to check it out. So I requested it from the Chicago Public Library, and whaddayaknow, 4 months later it's finally here! It's called 'A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Cooking Companion'. It started as a blog, Inn at the Crossroads, and after the authors and fans brought samples of the dishes to George R. R. Martin on his book tour, he gave them his blessing to be the official Game of Thrones cookbook. 

Since Game of Thrones is sort of medieval-ish and sort of English and sort of old, I was fully expecting this to be filled with all sorts of really old boiled meat and vegetables kind of dishes. And it is, but it's so much more. The book is arranged by the different regions of Westeros, and takes its inspiration from the dishes described in the books. There are two versions of most recipes: one really old, historically researched version that's kind of intense to make and one more modern version using more current ingredients, techniques, and pallet to achieve the same effect. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of lighter dishes (salads, sides, soups) and the pastries, oh the pastries. I am most excited about the breads, tarts, cookies, biscuits, and pies. I seriously can't wait to make them all. The recipes aren't really earth shattering, they just all sound so delicious in their simplicity. And it's fall. Need I mention again about how all I can think of is warm, filling, delicious, fresh food? After spending an afternoon drooling over the library copy, I decided we needed to own it and promptly ordered it from Amazon. In the meantime, we just had to try it out. 

So this is our first feast! We made the Modern Bean-and-Bacon Soup and Crusty White Bread, both dishes from The Wall. We paired it with a small mixed green salad with chopped tomatoes and fresh mozarella. I plated it up on our most rustic plates, lit a few candles, and as the sun went down we feasted!

First, the bread. This is delicious bread. I'm not a regular bread maker. I went through a phase in grad school where I made it almost weekly in Tempe, but since moving to our current apartment with it's tiny kitchen and Lily underfoot, I haven't done much. This is a nice, crusty white bread just as the name would suggest. It has a good savory flavor, and a great crust. It's kept pretty well, too. My favorite way to eat it, other than dunked in a bowl of soup is with a layer of fake cream cheese and a shmear of honey on top. I could eat a whole loaf of it at once like that. 

Next, the soup. This is a truly great soup. Quick to make, few ingredients, and warm and filling after a chilly fall day outdoors. We substituted prosciutto for the bacon because we had some that needed to be used up. Most of the ingredients are get pureed together after cooking, so it's a pretty smooth soup, but you add pieces of bacon and cook some orzo in it at the very end. I wasn't sure how I felt about the orzo as I was making it, but it gives it a really nice body. It's not as noticeable as rice can be, but it made it feel really good in your mouth. I don't have a more elegant way to describe it than that. 

We threw together the salad as sort of a deconstructed caprese on top of a drizzle of balsamic vinagrette because we had those on hand. It made for a really nice end to the meal. I like to have a little crunch after something so warm and hearty. And Lily gobbled this all up. She can't get enough of the bread with just a little bit of honey on it and she ate a whole bowl of the soup. She would have eaten more of it if there were any. 

Then after we were all stuffed, we sang happy birthday and blew out the candles. Because that's what you do with candles, not because it was actually anybody's birthday. Lily's version of the song goes like this "bird-day doo, bird-day doo, bird-day doo cake, bird-day doo.... blow!" It cracks me up every time. 

Now for the recipes.

Crusty White Bread

No rocket science here, just good simple bread.

1.5 Tbsp dry yeast (two packets)

1 to 2 tablespoons honey (I used one)

3 cups warm water

6.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed (I kneaded more, ha!)

1 tbsp coarse salt

1/3 cup cornmeal

"Add the yeast and honey to the water and mix it up. Don't worry if all the yeast does not dissolve; it will finish mixing in the flour. Add the flour and salt and begin working them into the mixture. 

Dump the dough onto a clean, floured countertop or board and knead for around 5 minutes, pushing with the heel of your hand, then gathering the dough back into a lump. Knead until the dough becomes one big mass. You will know when it is ready by poking it. When the dough bounces back, you're all set. If it's still too sticky, add a little extra flour. 

Now place the dough into a large greased bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it sit in a warm place for about 2 hours. You can also put it in the refrigerator overnight; it will rise more slowly. You can even let the dough sit in the fridge for a couple of days, at which point it will begin to take on a slight sourdough taste. 

Once the dough has at least doubled in size, divide it into thirds. Pull on each piece to form a ball, tucking all the ends in at the bottom The balls should be semi-smooth. Dust the top of each round loaf with a bit of flour and make some light slices in the dough with a very sharp knife. Place the balls at least 4 inches apart on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal and allow them to rise, uncovered for about 40 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450*F. Fill a baking dish or broiler pan with 2 cups of water and place it under the rack where your bread will go. (This is the trick to making a nice, crusty loaf of rustic bread. The steam from the water adds a nice crunch to the surface of the loaf.) Bake the loaves for around 30 minutes, until the crusts are a dark golden color and the loaves sound hollow when you tap them."

Modern Bean-and-Bacon Soup

It says that it serves 3 to 4, but Joe and I could have easily finished the pot ourselves.

3 strips of bacon, plus extra for garnish (we used 2 slices of prosciutto)

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp dried thyme, plus extra for garnish (we didn't add any extra)

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 feta cheese, plus extra for garnish

1/4 orzo

1 cup water (I only used half a cup because it seemed a bit thin)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste 

"In a small skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is well browned but not burned. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tsp of bacon fat from the pan. Add the olive oil to the remaining fat. 

Add the diced onion to the skillet and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is just starting to brown. Add the beans, thyme, and stock, then raise the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Half cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches with an upright blender. Return the soup to medium heat, then add the feta, orzo, 2 strips of crumbled bacon, and water. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls, crumble a bit of the leftover bacon on top, garnish with thyme and feta, and serve."