The Unofficial Recipes of The Hunger Games (3 page)

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL DANDELION SALAD

SERVES 4

On the life-changing day that Peeta snuck Katniss the Burnt Raisin Nut Bread, she spied some dandelions growing wild and remembered that they can be eaten. It's poetic that her first foraging expedition was for this springtime green, as it represented the beginning of a new life and a new hope for her family's survival.

This is a traditional Appalachian recipe for the dish, using warm bacon dressing. The dandelion greens should be picked fresh and rinsed several times to remove any dirt.

4 SLICES BACON

¼ CUP WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR

¼ CUP CIDER VINEGAR

2 CUPS WASHED AND TORN DANDELION GREENS, DRIED THOROUGHLY

Cut bacon slices into 8 pieces.

Cook the bacon pieces over medium heat in a sauté pan.

Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel.

Reserve ¼ cup of the bacon drippings and return sauté pan to low heat.

Add drippings, sugar and cook, stirring, until melted.

Stir in cider vinegar, add bacon pieces and then pour warm dressing over dandelion greens.

Toss and serve.

FRIED CATFISH AND ROASTED KATNISS TUBERS

SERVES 4

Katniss fondly remembered the day she was at the creek and noticed tall plants growing in the water close to the creek bed. They were katniss tubers, the plant for which her father had named her. She told us that when boiled or baked they're as good as any potato. The katniss plant is also known as swan potato, tule potato, or (more fittingly as a metaphor) arrowhead, due to the shape of its leaf.

Native Americans have used tubers of katniss, a nourishing root, as a food source for many generations. You can order the tubers from specialty sites online or substitute cassava or yucca, widely available in grocery store produce sections. Just peel the rough skin before using.

FOR ROASTED KATNISS TUBERS:

4 ROOTS OR TUBERS, SCRUBBED, PEELED AND QUARTERED

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

2 TABLESPOONS FRESH PARSLEY, CHOPPED

1 TEASPOON SALT

½ TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

½ TEASPOON PAPRIKA

FOR CATFISH:

4 (6–8 OUNCE) CATFISH FILETS

1 CUP WHOLE MILK

1 CUP YELLOW CORNMEAL (NOT SELF-RISING)

2 TEASPOONS SALT

1 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

¼ CUP CANOLA OIL

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

FOR ROASTED KATNISS TUBERS:

In large mixing bowl, toss Katniss tubers with olive oil, parsley, salt, pepper and paprika.

Place seasoned Katniss tubers on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. They should be golden and fork tender like a potato.

When done turn the oven off. Place the tubers in an oven safe baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place the tubers in the oven to keep warm while fish is cooked.

FOR CATFISH:

Rinse the catfish filets and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place the filets in a casserole or baking pan and pour milk over the top.

On a plate, combine corn meal, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Take filets 1 at a time from the milk and dredge them in the cornmeal to coat evenly. Set filets aside and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron skillet.

Add the coated catfish filets 1 or 2 at a time, depending on the size of your skillet. Add olive oil as necessary to keep fish from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Once cooked, place each filet on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and allow it to drain.

If you're cooking in large batches, place the drained catfish in the oven with the Katniss tubers to keep warm until all the fish is done.

2

THE SEAM AND DISTRICT 12

“To this day, I cannot shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed.”

KATNISS,
THE HUNGER GAMES
BY SUZANNE COLLINS, CHAPTER 2

THE FOODS AVAILABLE
to the residents of the Seam and District 12 are largely a mystery. While we're pretty well informed about what Katniss and Gale were able to find, forage and hunt, it is unclear whether other residents of the District and the Seam were able to trade or barter for other ingredients. It is clear, however, that food was scarce and ingredients were simple throughout District 12. Most of the recipes in Chapter 2 are for foods that were meant to sustain more than tantalize, with a few rare treats that were probably only available to those such as the Peacekeepers and visiting officials.

REAL BAKERY LOAF BREAD

MAKES 2 LOAVES

This is the bread that appeared at the end of Gale's arrow on the first morning of the book. There were various types of bread in
The Hunger Games
, and each represented a different way of life and different chance of surviving. The books don't specify what type of grain was given out in the rations, but it's understood that the Capitol breads were better than the bakery breads, and that the bakery breads were better than those made from grain rations.

Since there was little technology or gadgetry in District 12, it's safe to assume that the breads sold at Mellark's Bakery were probably much like the artisanal breads popular today. For those breads, we suggest a mixture of white, whole wheat and barley flours. For grain rations, we'll use barley and whole wheat, but it's likely that the Mellarks had to use whatever they could buy or obtain through trade.

2½ CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

¾ CUP BARLEY FLOUR

2 TEASPOONS SALT

2 TEASPOONS YEAST

1½ CUPS WARM WATER (ABOUT 110 DEGREES)

OLIVE OIL

Using your hands or a whisk, mix together the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl until well blended.

Add the water and mix with your hands or a stand mixer until smooth dough forms together.

Cover loosely with a clean damp towel and set in a warm place for at least 2 hours to rise. Rub a bit of olive oil over the surface to prevent dough from drying out.

After the dough has risen to about double, sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour, then divide into 2 equal-sized hunks.

Start forming the first hunk into a loaf. Roll into a ball shape and knead fairly gently for 5 minutes, folding it over from near side to far and turning as you go.

Use both hands to form the dough into an oval or round shape, set on a piece of parchment paper and cover with a mixing bowl. Repeat with the second loaf.

Let rise for 1 hour, or until roughly doubled again.

Put a baking stone or pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. (If you don't have a stone, you can substitute a heavy baking sheet — just skip the preheating and grease the pan with olive oil.)

Dust the tops of your loaves with a bit of all-purpose flour and use a wet knife to lightly score the dough diagonally along the tops.

Place dough and parchment directly onto the pizza stone or cast-iron pan. Fill an oven-safe casserole dish with 1 cup of hot water and place carefully on bottom rack of the oven.

Bake the loaves until golden brown and crusty, about 25–30 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature or a bit warmer before slicing.

GREASY SAE'S CALL IT BEEF SOUP

SERVES 4

Greasy Sae told Katniss that once it was in the soup, she'd call it beef. We'll start with beef and call it dog. After all, you'd like to eat the soup. If you want something a bit wilder, you can try one of the recipes in Chapter 7.

Greasy Sae had to work primarily with ingredients brought to her by traders. The ingredients in this soup include the greens and other wild things people like Katniss and Gale brought in.

1 TABLESPOON BUTTER

1 LARGE WHITE ONION, THINLY SLICED

½ CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

1 TABLESPOON SALT

1 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

2 POUNDS STEW BEEF, CUBED

2 CLOVES CRUSHED GARLIC

2 TABLESPOONS CANOLA OR OLIVE OIL

4 CUPS BEEF STOCK

2 CUPS WARM WATER

1 BAY LEAF

2 CUPS WASHED AND TORN DANDELION GREENS OR WATERCRESS

1 CUP QUICK-COOKING BARLEY

Heat a large, heavy pot on medium heat. Add butter and heat until completely melted and no longer frothy.

Add thinly sliced onions. Let onions brown and caramelize for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally while you prepare beef and other ingredients.

Put flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag, shake well and add beef in batches, shaking to coat. Set coated beef aside.

Add garlic to onions, then remove onions to a plate and set aside.

Add oil to the same pot and brown beef until well seared on all sides.

Put onions, garlic and any residual butter back into the pot.

Add beef stock, warm water and bay leaf and bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 1½ hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper as needed.

Add greens and barley and simmer covered for another 20–30 minutes, until barley and greens are just tender.

Serve with some crusty bread dipped in olive oil.

PEETA'S BURNT RAISIN NUT BREAD

MAKES 2 LOAVES

Peeta's gift of bread to 11-year-old Katniss was the first contact the two of them have. Giving her the bread cost him something, which made an impression on young Katniss, who had all but given up on feeding her starving family. Bread is called “the staff of life,” and in this case two loaves of burnt bread did help save the lives of Katniss, Prim and their mother.

This recipe calls for goat's milk, as that is what Prim later traded for bread from Mr. Mellark. Feel free to use cow's milk if you like, but try this recipe with goat's milk at least once!

SHORTENING

2 CUPS PACKED LIGHT BROWN SUGAR

1½ CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1½ CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

3 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA

1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON

1 TEASPOON GROUND NUTMEG

1 TEASPOON SALT

1½ CUPS PECAN PIECES

1½ CUPS WALNUT PIECES

1½ CUPS GOLDEN RAISINS

1½ CUPS REGULAR RAISINS

4 EGGS

1½ CUPS GOAT'S MILK

6 TABLESPOONS MELTED BUTTER, DIVIDED

2 TEASPOONS VANILLA

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans with shortening or butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk until well blended.

Add the nuts and raisins to the mixture.

In another bowl beat eggs and add goat's milk, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk ingredients together until well blended.

Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients mixture until the dough is moist and consistent.

Divide evenly into the 2 loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let bread cool to slightly warm before removing from pan. Once removed, turn out the loaves onto a rack to finish cooling.

If you do want to serve them burnt, wrap all but a corner of each loaf very well in foil, then place under a broiler for just a few minutes until the exposed corners are burnt.

MR. MELLARK'S FAREWELL COOKIES

MAKES 2 DOZEN

When Mr. Mellark brought a paper packet of cookies to Katniss after the reaping, it touched her, but not nearly as much as his promise to watch out for Prim.

Here's a recipe for spicy cookies using ingredients the Mellarks appear to have had. These are tasty
snacks and would hold up well on a train journey, too.

2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

3 TEASPOONS CINNAMON

1 TEASPOON GROUND GINGER

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

½ TEASPOON SALT

½ TEASPOON GROUND ALLSPICE

½ TEASPOON NUTMEG

1 STICK UNSALTED BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

¾ CUP DARK BROWN SUGAR

1 EGG

1 TEASPOON VANILLA

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, except the brown sugar, with a whisk or wooden spoon. Mix until well blended and set aside.

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients a cup at a time and mix just until blended and the dough is smooth.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly dust a large, clean work surface with flour and roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thick.

Use a cookie cutter or a cup to cut the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as you go.

Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.

Let cool on the pan before removing with a spatula.

3

THE TRAIN

“The pair last year were two kids from the Seam who'd never, not one day in their lives, had enough to eat.”

KATNISS,
THE HUNGER GAMES
BY SUZANNE COLLINS, CHAPTER 3

THE TRAIN TO THE CAPITOL
was Peeta and Katniss' introduction to the way the more fortunate eat. To young people who had lived their whole lives without ever having enough food, the meals experienced on the train may as well have been from another planet altogether. Their minds could barely take it all in; in fact, even Peeta and Katniss' bodies had trouble accepting such plenty. These foods weren't as lavish as what awaited the tributes in the Capitol, but they certainly weren't the simple fare of home.