Well, maybe exciting is relative..
And I have just received the gift of some kefir grains to make kefir milk (cultured milk).
My house is full of jars of things bubbling and silently growing and fermenting. My head is doing the same, meeting the challenges posed by cooking with these fascinating and unusual ingredients.
Why? As I mentioned a few posts earlier, there is a wholefood revolution going on in my household. And cultured or fermented products are a cornerstone of the principles of whole living. As is 'treating' your grains properly.
I had to push my dietary and nutritional understanding of food to one side and asslimilate a new interpretation of healthy. It was difficult for me to ignore years of modern dietary wisdom, making choices that contradict the low-fat, no-fat, healthy food pyramid advice. Hard, mentally. Food wise it has been easy, the immediate benefits of eating 'whole', the deliciousness of the food, the satiety and 'wellness' and feeling of being nourished re-inforces that I am doing the right thing. For myself and my family.
The information on sprouted grain flour is limited, as it's not widely available. It appeals to special diets (those intolerant of gluten flours but not truly coeliac) and wholefood-ers who want grain that has been 'processed' (the usual way is the sour ferment or soak flours or grains before using. The 'why' of this I'll deal with later). It appeals to people who know that regular flour products- sliced bread and bakery goods- leave their appetites dissatisfied, make them feel hungry more quickly and perpetuate a maddening crave and binge cycle, in spite of best efforts to 'be healthy'. People like me.
I have gifted some flour to interested friends and co-workers to experiment with. First reports from my testers have been promising. I can't wait to hear about the pasta dough trial and taste the shortbread that's been made.
My next project once the kefir has matured is kefir cheese, and cultured butter. It is quite exciting...
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