Find your food village - and a spring breakfast bowl recipe Find your food village - and a spring breakfast bowl recipe We believe in really experiencing our food - growing
our own vegetables, gathering from the wild, sourcing
produce from local farmers and making big, beautiful
meals with all that we have found - and these are
such joyful experiences for us.
But what makes them even better is doing them with
other people. Growing, gathering, preserving,
pickling, cooking and eating are all so much better
when shared with your village. In fact, most of the
experiences that life has to offer are better when
shared with the people you love! It's the sharing
that makes these experiences matter, that gives them
meaning and brings about feelings of happiness and
belonging.
These are the kind of feelings that truly nourish us.
They are about food, but beyond food also. They do
something for your soul. Like when you share a big,
beautiful, fresh meal with friends, with a warm fire
in the corner and the dog on the couch. Or when you
go to a friend's house and they anticipate your
needs, greeting you with a freshly-baked cake, a hot
pot of coffee and a salad from their garden. When you
sit with family, laughing, arguing and sharing a
meal. Or when you are so tired and someone makes you
a wholesome, home-cooked meal, a cup of tea, and
tucks you into bed.
It's the feeling you get when someone welcomes you as
their own, feeds you as though they have known and
loved you forever and it's as if they grew their
whole garden just to nourish you. That feeling. It's
a feeling that sits somewhere deep within your heart.
And it's a feeling that might be so much more
important than we previously thought. Studies now
show that when we feel safe and nurtured, when we
have abundance and security (as compared to feeling
like our resources are scarce and the future is
uncertain), our brains function the equivalent of 14
IQ points higher! Having a village support system
contributes massively to feeling safe and secure.
Because a loving village brings meaning to one's
life, creating strong bonds and a security in knowing
that there are others around who will "catch" you if
you find yourself with little food or money. In a
loving village, there is always abundance to share.
No matter who makes up your village, sharing life
with loved ones has been shown, time and time again,
to have a more extraordinary impact on longevity than
so many other factors that you'd think would just
have to have a greater effect. It's been shown to be
more powerful than maintaining a healthy weight, than
living among a pristine environment, than avoiding
substance abuse, than having access to healthcare -
the list goes on.
In fact, after accounting for all the multitude of
variables from one person's life circumstances to the
next, people who consider themselves to have strong
connections with others can expect to live at least
26% longer than those who don't. So the need for all
of us to seek out a village, our village, is one of
the most crucial things not only for our health, but
also to live a life that is long, happy and full of
meaning.
The village that surrounds you will be different from
ours, different for every person - and we often have
several "villages", or communities, that are
important to us. Whatever the case, surround yourself
with the people who fit your idea of the village.
People who make you feel as though you aren't just
anyone, but you are the whole world. People who make
your soul feel full, as though you've just received
the warmest hug in the world. People who are your
people, who make you feel complete and that you fit.
Embrace these people - they are your village.
Matt's winter/spring breakfast bowl
All winter and spring, I am all about brassica shoots
- the flower buds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,
mustard greens, radish, turnip, kohlrabi and brussels
sprouts. They are so diversely colourful and
flavourful, and are so easy to cook (and are often
found growing wild). They just tick all the boxes for
me for fun garden food.
Upland cress is also right up there with brassica
shoots. It's the most nutrient-dense green per
calorie, plus it protects our brassicas from white
cabbage butterfly grubs, so we always plant them
together. This is my perfect breakfast bowl for these
seasons, utilising what's thriving in the garden,
what's readily abundant in the fridge and some tasty
pickles to sharpen it all into focus. Make it yours.
2 eggs
extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of poppy seeds
a pinch of chilli flakes
a handful of brassica shoots
a handful of upland cress
a pinch of unrefined salt
1 cup leftover cooked gluten-free grains (brown rice,
quinoa, millet etc.) (see note)
1?2 avocado, sliced
a spoonful of kimchi
a spoonful of pickled broad beans
1 radish, finely sliced
a small handful of sprouts
a pinch of black sesame seeds
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Using a
spoon, gently lower the eggs right to the bottom of
the pan (to avoid cracking) and gently boil for
exactly 6 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately,
refresh under cold water, then peel and halve. The
eggs should be perfectly soft-set. Set aside.
Meanwhile, add a very generous (I mean very generous)
splash of oil to a medium, heavy-based frying pan
over medium heat. Add the poppy seeds and chilli and
fry for 1 minute, taking care not to burn them. Add
the brassica shoots, cress and salt (beware of
spitting - you might want to cover the pan for a
moment) and fry for 1-2 minutes until just softened
and the colour has brightened nicely. Transfer to a
bowl and set aside.
Add the grains to the pan and stir to soak up all the
oil. Cover, turn off the heat and leave for a minute
to warm through just from the heat of the pan, then
transfer to a serving bowl.
Add eggs, greens and remaining ingredients to the
bowl any way you like and feast!
Note: If you don't have any leftover grains, place 1
cup of white rice and 1 1?2 cups of water in a small-
medium saucepan, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce
to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
|
Popular
SPORTS NOTES
TRADE NOTES
|