Feast

Nearby

The

How I lost my job, buried a marriage,

and found my way by keeping chickens,
foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating
locally (all on forty dollars a week)

Robin Mather

Ten Speed Press

Berkeley

Math_9781580085588_xp_all_r1.indd 3

3/14/11 10:35 AM

For my mother, Jane Bobby Hughes Mather (19211999),

who taught me well and truly about everything that matters;
and for Boon, who was a Good Dog.

5444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445
Copyright 2011 by Robin Mather
Illustrations copyright 2011 by Barry Fitzgerald
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of
the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are
registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mather, Robin.
The feast nearby : how I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my
way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating
locally (all on $40 a week) / Robin Mather.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: A charming ode (with recipes) to eating well and locally, on
$40 per week, from a recently unemployed food-journalism
veteran Provided by publisher.
1. Low budget cooking. 2. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX652.M2958 2011
641.5'52dc22
2010045085
ISBN 978-1-58008-558-8
Printed in the United States of America
Design by Nancy Austin
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition

Math_9781580085588_xp_all_r1.indd 4

3/24/11 4:45 PM

sage dressing with cherries, apples,

and sausage
makes 12 to 14 servings

When my brother and I were very young, my mother would sit us down
on the couch the night before Thanksgiving with a big roasting pan and
a couple of loaves of bread. Earn your keep, shed say, pouring herself
another martini. Our job was to tear the slices of bread into chunky pieces
so it could stale on the counter overnight for her dressing the next day. We
were so proud at dinner, when everyone raved about our dressing. Even the
littlest ones can pitch in to help with preparation. Why deprive them of that
by buying stuffing mix? I prefer to bake the dressing in a separate pan for the
last hour of the turkeys roasting time, rather than putting it in the bird.

5444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445444%
2 loaves rustic white bread,
sliced

3 large apples, unpeeled, cored,

and chopped

1/4

1/ 2

cup dried cherries

1 large onion, chopped

1/ 2

cup chopped walnuts

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 tablespoon dried sage,

crumbled

cup (1/2 stick) salted butter

1 pound bulk fresh pork sausage

1 to 2 cups chicken broth

On Thanksgiving eve, tear the bread into chunks about 1-inch in size.
Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet; leave the bread on the counter or in the oven overnight to stale.
On Thanksgiving day, butter a 4-quart casserole or baking dish.
Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion
and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion and celery to a very large bowl.
Into the same skillet, crumble the pork sausage. Cook the sausage, stirring to break up large chunks, until it is well-browned and no pink remains,
about 10 minutes. Drain the sausage and add to the bowl; discard the
drippings.

On Thanksgiving and the local table

Math_9781580085588_xp_all_r1.indd 191

continued
191

3/14/11 10:35 AM

Add the stale bread, apples, cherries, walnuts, and sage to the bowl; stir to
combine. Moisten the bread mixture with enough chicken broth to get it to
hold together but not be soggy. Transfer the dressing to the prepared casserole and refrigerate if you are not baking immediately.
Bake the dressing, covered, at 350F for 1 hour and then serve.

blasted Brussels sprouts

makes 12 to 14 servings

Pity the poor Brussels sprout. A lot of people who think they dislike sprouts
have only had them overcooked, mushy, and watery. This method has converted a number of my guests, because the high heat of the broiler caramelizes
some of the sprouts sugars, making them toothsome and crisp.

5444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445444%4445444%
3 pounds Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt, such as kosher salt
Clean the Brussels sprouts by removing any damaged outer leaves and
trimming away the stem end. Cut them in half from the top to the base.
Put the sprouts in a large bowl. Pour the oil over them, sprinkle with
1 teaspoon salt, and toss to make sure every sprout is dressed in oil. Tumble
the sprouts onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Move an oven rack to its closest position to the broiler and heat the
broiler.
Broil the Brussels sprouts, shaking the pan every couple of minutes, until
they begin to char slightly, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt to
taste and serve immediately.

192

Math_9781580085588_xp_all_r1.indd 192

Fall

3/14/11 10:35 AM