The Nourished Kitchen: a review and a recipe

Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from The Nourished Kitchen written and photographed by Jennifer McGruther (Ten Speed Press, © 2014)

When I first started Nourishing Days, about six years ago, there were only a handful of real food bloggers that I knew of on the internet. I watched some of today’s biggest real food blogs come out of complete obscurity. Things have changed a lot since then, including a lot of what this blog is about, but a few of the earliest, and most talented, bloggers are now some of the biggest names in the food blogging world.

Jenny McGruther is one of those names. There was a time, though, that Nourished Kitchen wasn’t in everyone’s bookmarks or Pinterest boards (as if I know what that means). I had the great privilege of “knowing” Jenny then, through our mutual love for real food and blogging.

buttered spinach, page 29

At one point, very early on for both of us, I was looking around online for unique and interesting recipes. I came across Jenny’s blog and found recipes for cultured dairy salad dressings and baked goods made from alternative grains. I was hooked and I couldn’t figure out why no one knew about her site. Soon after I found Nourished Kitchen, however, I came back to find her taking a blogging break.

She was, most likely, starting up a farmer’s market in her hometown in Colorado at the time, which is awesome. But I was disappointed. Where else was I going to find recipes for these weird traditional foods I was just starting to churn out of our kitchen? Who else cooked with lard and butter and experimented with fermentation and freshly-picked produce?

I suppose part of my own foray into recipe development came out of a need to fill that void, and so perhaps I have Jenny to thank for abandoning her blog for a short stint all those years ago. Either way, when she returned to blogging the Nourished Kitchen skyrocketed to the top of the real food blog list and finally everyone knew exactly what it is that I was loving about her site.

spring vegetable stew, page 45

So, when I received her cookbook, aptly titled The Nourished Kitchen, I grinned. It’s a beautiful book with many of my favorite foods – ferments, sourdoughs, broths, fresh produce, plenty of butter – not to mention the defense of lard you’ll find on page 114. All of the recipes are creative, traditional, and beautifully photographed. And it’s laid out by food source, with sections including from the field (grains and sourdoughs) and from the garden (all manner of fresh vegetable preparations).

It’s the book you’d give your friends or family when they ask about all of that traditional food you cook in your own kitchen. It’s the recipes you cook from when you get together with your real food-loving friends for a local food potluck. It’s the reference you’ll come back to when you’re trying to figure out what you should do with those chicken livers/collard greens/kohlrabi/insert obscure old-timey food here.

In a word, it’s lovely. In a phrase, it’s the book for those interested in flavorful, traditional, seasonal home cookery.

And I am delighted to see an old friend share her gift of food and photos with the world, so that all might know them as I have for these many years.

Melted Blueberries with Ginger and Mandarin Orange

Tossed into frothy butter scented with ginger, blueberries soften and seem to melt away. I usually use orange blossom honey, as it nicely balances the earthy sweetness of blueberries and the vibrant citrus flavors of mandarin orange. Once the flavors meld together in the heat of the pan, I ladle the blueberries into waiting bowls and serve them with a dollop of whipped cream that melts, ever so slowly, with the residual heat of the berries.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 21/2 cups blueberries
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Finely grated zest and juice
• of 1 mandarin orange
• Whipped cream, to serve

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the ginger and sauté until it releases its spicy perfume, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the blueberries, honey, and mandarin zest and juice.
3. Sauté the berries over medium heat until the berries soften and their juices form a thin syrup, about 6 minutes. Spoon the warm berries into individual bowls and serve topped with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.