Cooking in La'Sharra
-- by Princess Windfare La'Sharra
Many of the celebrations in La'Sharra are conducted with emphasis on food. Few gifts are exchanged, instead we focus on the family and our feast. In the spring our foods are composed of berries and nuts, which we dried and harvested, the previous fall. Our regular foods are very spicy because we use natural herbs and spices found in our area and in the past two hundred years we have incorporated spices acquired through trading.
We still do most of our cooking at the fire pit or fireplace. Utensils used are not very unlike those used throughout Elanthia.
Most of our cooking is done using what's called a bastable oven. This is a large round flat cast iron pot with a flat well fitted lid. The bottom of the pot has three or four short small protrusions which hold the pot slightly elevated. A paste is made of flour and water to seal the lid. Hot coals are then placed around and upon the bastable oven creating a constant slow cooking.
Most of the fruits, meats and vegetables are similar to that found throughout Elanthia. During harvest time we have a specialty in La'Sharra which is usually only served after harvest and during major feasts. Some of the ingredients are special made for us but have an equivalent counterpart, I will make notes in the list of ingredients.La'Sharra Sylvan Stuffed Baked Apples
Prepare fire, let burn till there are enough coals to cover the bastable oven.
(All ingredients are approximate.)
9 Cooking Apples (Rome, Winesap or Cortland)
1 cup Dried Plumbs (Prunes)
1 cup Dried Apricots
1 can or large container of sliced peaches with juice
1 can or large container of Mandarin Orange Segments with juice
1 can or large container of crushed pineapple
(The following ingredients are as desired usually 1 - 2 tablespoons)
Whole Wheat - Barley Mix (Grape nuts)
Raisins
Nuts, chopped (Pecans)
Apple Juice, unsweetened as needed
Optional: Brandy, Honey, Cream or Preserves for toppingsThe Filling
Into a small pan (or a very slow cooker) combine the apricots, plumbs, peaches with juice and mandarin orange segments with juice. Slow cook overnight (8 - 10 hours low heat) or on top of fire over very low heat stirring quite occasionally for one to one and a half hours. The end result will be mostly a paste with some chunks of especially the apricots.
Baking the Apples
Wash and core the apples. Peel a strip around the top and bottom of the apple. Place the apple in the bastable oven and fill with the apricot - plumb mixture. Cover and seal the oven and bake for twenty minutes.
Uncover apples and if the apples seem dry pour a little unsweetened apple juice over them.
Bake apples for an additional 20 minutes or until fork tender.Serving the Apples
1. Place 1 - 2 Tablespoons of the wheat-barley mix (grape nuts) in the bottom of the bowl.
2. Put baked apple with filling on the mix.
3. Cut into four pieces and spread out in bowl.
4. Cover with additional apricot - plumb mixture.
5. Spoon a Tablespoon of crushed pineapple over the centre.
6. Sprinkle some raisins over the pineapple.
7. Sprinkle nuts over the raisins.Optional Toppings
Add topping if desired and serve. Baked apples can be served either hot or cold. No added sugar (except for the marmalade), no salt, except for trace amounts in the grape nuts and no fat except for that in the nuts.
La'Sharra Favorite Toppings
Tablespoon of brandy. (My dad's favorite.)
Healthy Drizzle of Honey (My gramps favorite.)
One half cup of whipping cream (My mother's favorite.)
All of them at once (Ruach's favorite.)
Orange Marmalade (Naela's favorite.) (Much added sugar in this.)OOC Notes
Equivalent ingredients, what you will find in the local grocery, are listed in parenthesis.
A crock-pot serves in most of the recipes. This will be referred to as very slow cooking.
To bake in conventional oven preheat to 350 degrees F.
At this point you can either line a baking dish/pan with foil or wrap each apple with a small square of foil. I prefer lining a baking dish.
Cover complete dish of apples with foil and bake for twenty minutes. Uncover and add juice as needed. Bake for an additional twenty minutes.