The Hunger Games Recipes

Book

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

In District 12, Katniss fends for herself and her family by hunting in the nearby forest for wild dog, fish, and fresh berries. She trades some of that food for goods like fresh bread from Peeta’s family, the bakers.

Make Peeta’s Bread and Fish Stew with Katniss’s Fresh Fish.

Cook

Peeta's Bread

Complexity: Moderate, multi-step process.
Time: 4-5 hours end-to-end, with about 1 hour of hands on time and 40 minutes baking.

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package regular active or fast-acting dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
2 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
2 to 2 ½ cups bread flour
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted if desired
1 cup raisins, dried cherries or cranberries
Cornmeal

Directions

In large bowl, mix whole wheat flour and yeast. Add warm water. Beat with wire whisk or electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes.
Stir in brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, salt and 1 cup of the bread flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, smooth dough forms.
Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Knead in walnuts and raisins. Grease large bowl with cooking spray or butter. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when poked with your finger.
Grease uninsulated cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Gently shape into an even, round ball, without releasing all of the bubbles in the dough. Stretch sides of dough downward to make a smooth top. Place loaf with smooth side up on cookie sheet. Spray loaf with cool water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size.
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray loaf with cool water. With sharp serrated knife, carefully cut slashes in pattern on top of loaf to provide a pattern.
Place in oven; spray with cool water. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until loaf is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool.

Cook

Fish Stew

Complexity: Moderate, multi-step stew with a decent amount of prep.
Time: 25 minutes prep plus 45 minutes cooking.

Ingredients

4 large garlic cloves, cut in half
4 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 4 minutes, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
Kosher salt to taste (about a teaspoon)
28-ounces canned chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1 quart water
1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or sliced
A bay leaf, a strip of orange zest, a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, tied together with a string
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 1 ½ pounds firm white-fleshed fish such as halibut, tilapia, Pacific cod or black cod, cut in 2-inch pieces

Directions

Place the garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Add the anchovy fillets and mash with the garlic. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the pureed garlic and anchovy. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about one minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture smells aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the water, potatoes, salt (to taste) and the tied herbs. Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover partially and simmer 30 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and add pepper to taste. Remove the tied-up herbs.
Season the fish with salt and pepper, and stir into the soup. The soup should not be boiling. Simmer five to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or just until it flakes easily when poked. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust seasonings and serve.