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After the Fast Is Over .....


We are coming up to the "three weeks" in the Jewish religion and this period is marked both at the beginning and the end with a fast. 
Because  the end of the  fast of Tammuz marks the anniversary of my fathers death, I have taken on board to make a meal in his honor to "break the fast" 

 Everyone, every family family has their own customs when it comes to an after fast meal, some people like to have a large heavy  meal and others are happy with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. My grandfather use to always break his fast with herring and crackers..I am not sure what that did for his digestive system .

 Personally I feel the meal needs to be light, nutritious and replace the fluids the body is missing.

 This year I am breaking the fast with six women from a local "Midreshet",( women's religious collage )  and have combined their customs to design  
delicious nutritious menu.* recipes are below  message me for other recipes.
*Orange Soup 
*Home made organic  honey spelt bread

Mixed green seed and nut salad.
Home made humus  ( for Protein )
Home made green tahini ( for calcium and magnesium )
Roasted mixed pepper salad.

Spiced apple cake fresh melon and grape platter 
Tea.

Orange soup, with roasted pumpkin seed and almond  milk topping.
should be called orange vegetable soup,
 for 6-10 people  you need 
1 butternut squash
2 large sweet potatoes
2  red skin potatoes
1/2 kilo pumpkin
4 carrots
2 sweet potatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger 
1 stick cinnamon
1 leek
2 onions
2 bay leaves
1/2 tea spoon ground black pepper 
3/4 tea spoon ground sea salt
Cold water  to just cover vegetables
1 cup almond / hemp or soya milk 
1 cup chopped parsley
Topping
1 cup Almond  milk

1/2 cup sunflower seeds or sliced almonds  , dry roasted.

Peel  &  Cut all the vegetables up into equal  sizes portions , wash and place in a thick bottom pan,
add the ginger, bay leaf , garlic, cinnamon stick salt and pepper, parsley 
Just cover the vegetables with water place a lid on the pot and cook on a fast simmer for 20-25 minutes.
add 1 cup of the almond milk, , adjust the seasoning to taste remove the cinnamon and bay leaf and blend in a blender  .

 Serve with a teaspoon of  of toasted seeds and a swirl of almond milk.


Honey Spelt Bread.
There is nothing quite like the small and taste of home made bread,  
Spelt is is a species of wheat cultivated from the earliest record times . Spelt was an important staple in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to medieval times; It is one of the biblical seven species. Oven people intolerant to modern wheat can eat spelt, it is lower in gluten but not gluten free therefore it is not suitable for people with coeliac disease.

 Spelt contains about 57.9 percent carbohydrates (excluding 9.2 percent fibre), 17.0 percent protein and 3.0 percent fat, as well as dietary minerals and vitamins. It is sometimes easier to digest after a fast.
This recipe makes 2 small loaves

 500 grms/  1.lb 2 oz / 3. 1/2  cups organic spelt flour sifted 
10 grms / 3 tea spoons  fine quality sea salt
10 grms/2 tsp  fresh or dried yeast
3 table spoons organic honey 
300 mls/ 10.5 fluid oz water
1 table spoon apple sauce.

 dissolve the yeast with  1/4 the water  ( hand hot) and one table spoon of the honey, stir cover  and set aside till it is foaming. ( around 5-6 minutes).

 Place the flour, salt, in a bowl make a well  add the yeast mixture, apple sauce, honey and water, mix well pulling together and kneed , or place in a mixer with a dough hook and mix for 10 minutes.
Spelt takes longer to absorbed  water so don't worry if it is damp.
Tun on to a lightly floured table and kneed further 5 minutes.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl   cover with a clean towel and leave to rise for 40-80 minutes.

 Knock the dough down, take out of the bowl and on a clean surface divide into even portions. Place on a baking tray, at this stage you may sprinkle the top with seeds.

 Cover with cling film and a cloth and prove again for another hour.

Preheat your oven to 230c 450 f gas 8 
put a pot or baking tray water in the bottom of the oven to create a bakers steam effect.

Place your loves in the oven.
After 10 minutes  reduce the oven to 210c 410f Gas 6.
Bake for a further 20-35  minutes.
To check if the loaf is done, remove it from the oven, tap lightly  on its base, if you hear a hollow sound the bread is done.

 Serve, with dips, soup salad. Spelt bread freezes remarkably well
What ever your family tradition is to break your fast,  with a hearty soup and home made bread you can not go far wrong.

 I wish you an easy fast, and for those of my followers in Israel, please stay safe.



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