The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Cookbook, page 1
For Ulrich “Uli” Peste, who is Sam to my Frodo
Welcome to Middle-earth!
Stephen King, one of the most successful writers of all time, once said that writers are born to be writers—that an author’s skills and trades can be learned up to a certain degree, but only “born” writers would sit at their typewriters even if writing was forbidden under penalty of death, just because they feel the urge to put down on paper all those stories that swirl around in their heads.
According to that definition, J. R. R. Tolkien was not a “real writer,” since even at the peak of his success, he still considered writing drudgery and pursued it more as a hobby alongside his faculty work. So there was an obvious reason why it took him a full fifteen years to finish his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien’s life was determined by his passion for language, not just in his career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon but also with regard to his creative work. Early on in his youth, Tolkien began to develop languages of his own, which later on became the bedrock of his entire artistry. His complete mythology actually arose from nothing but his intention to come up with a “real” background for his fictitious languages.
Tolkien’s mythology first took shape in early 1917, when he came down with trench fever as a soldier in World War I and returned from the front lines in France back home to England. At that time, he started work on his “book of lost tales,” an anthology of stories that would, many years later, become The Silmarillion, unfinished in his lifetime but later edited by his son Christopher Tolkien. In it, Tolkien put down the first roots of a new and unique world that he called, referring to Midgard from Norse mythology, Middle-earth.
In 1937, Tolkien presented Middle-earth for the first time to the public in The Hobbit, a book he originally wrote as a bedtime story for his children. The novel turned into a considerable best seller, so publisher Stanley Unwin asked Tolkien to come up with a sequel as soon as possible. Although Tolkien agreed, despite his dislike of the actual writing process, he had a much more mature book in mind from the very beginning—one that was supposed to appeal to grown-up readers as well. The title of this new Hobbit novel was The Lord of the Rings.
The rest is, as they say, history.
Tolkien considered his literary work primarily as an opportunity to research foreign peoples and cultures. It comes as no surprise that, despite all the fantastical aspects of his tales, the lives of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Men take center stage. Tolkien especially cared about the creature comforts of his heroes. His books are full of fond hints at food and drink, showing the author’s enthusiasm for sumptuous feasts. After all, there is a good reason that both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings begin with elaborate banquets before the actual adventure starts. In Tolkien’s eyes, food and drink stood for friendship, love, hope, and home.
This book offers an exceptional collection of a wide variety of foods and drinks derived from or inspired by Tolkien’s works. So, if you were always dying to taste Bilbo’s famous seed cakes, Sam’s coney stew, the Prancing Pony’s potato soup, or Túrin Turambar’s tarragon chicken, here’s your chance. Following the trails of Frodo, Aragorn, Gimli, Galadriel, Gollum, and all the other unforgettable characters from Tolkien’s books, you’ll be going on a culinary excursion through all of Middle-earth, from the peaceful Shire to the vast Elven forests and the caves of Mirkwood, all the way into the foothills of Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie.
On that note, safe travels!
Tom Grimm
BREAKFAST
Millet Gruel
Beorn’s Honey Cakes
Beren’s Bread Flower
Breakfast Patties
Pancakes
Millet Gruel
Level
Easy
Prep Time
2 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Serves 2
1 cup millet
1 ¼ cups water
1 ¼ cups milk
1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Fresh raspberries, for garnish
I. In a pot, bring the millet, water, and milk to a light boil, stirring constantly.
II. Add the cane sugar, honey, sea salt, and half of the ground cinnamon, mix well, and let simmer while stirring until the mixture takes on a nice mushy consistency, about 10 to 12 minutes.
III. Remove from heat and season to taste.
IV. Fill 2 breakfast bowls, top off with the remaining ground cinnamon, garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries, and serve.
Beorn’s Honey Cakes
Level
Easy
Prep Time
15 minutes
Bake Time
20–25 minutes
Makes about 9
1 stick butter, softened, plus extra for greasing baking dish
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup blossom honey, plus extra for garnish
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
⅔ cup milk
Also needed:
Silicon honeycomb pull-apart cake mold or 9-cup nonstick muffin baking pan
I. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease baking dish with butter.
II. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
III. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer, and slowly drizzle in the honey. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one by one and incorporate thoroughly. Add the flour-baking powder mixture, salt, and milk and mix until batter is nice and smooth.
IV. Pour the batter into the prepared dish, smooth it, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in baking dish for a few minutes, then loosen them carefully from the mold and remove them.
V. Drizzle the cakes with honey before serving.
Tip
A wide variety of silicon honeycomb pull-apart cake molds can be found on the internet.
Beren’s Bread Flower
Level
Medium
Prep Time
20 minutes, plus 70 minutes for rising
Bake Time
20–25 minutes
Makes 1 loaf
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1 tablespoon fresh yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter, softened, plus extra for greasing mold
1 egg yolk
Also needed:
Springform cake pan (about 9 ½ inches)
I. Pour 1 cup of warm water into a bowl. Crumble in the yeast, add the sugar, and stir to dissolve ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes, until a fine layer of foam has formed on top.
II. Add the flour, egg, salt, and softened butter to a mixing bowl. Pour in yeast mixture and knead for at least 5 minutes into a smooth dough. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel, and let dough rest for about 50 minutes in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
III. Grease springform pan with butter.
IV. On a floured countertop, knead the dough one more time, then separate it into 7 pieces of equal size. Form each one into a ball and place them in the springform, arranging 6 along the edge and 1 in the middle with no gaps, so that the baked bread resembles a flower. Cover with dish towel and let rise for another 20 minutes.
V. Preheat oven to 350°.
VI. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, use mixture to brush the dough balls in the springform pan. Bake until they are golden brown, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then loosen the bread from the pan.
Breakfast Patties
Level
Easy
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Makes 6
1 pound potatoes
3 carrots
1 zucchini
1 onion, finely diced
1 egg
½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
I. Peel the potatoes and carrots, wash them, and dry them off. Cut into rough pieces.
II. Wash the zucchini, take off the ends, and cut into rough pieces. Put them and the potatoes and carrots in the bowl of a food processor and grate them coarsely. (Alternately, grate them by hand.) Drain well in a colander.
III. Pour the grated vegetables into a bowl and add the onion, egg, parsley, bread crumbs, and mint. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Form into patties about 1 inch thick.
IV. In a nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil on medium heat. Depending on the size of the skillet, add some of the patties and fry them to a golden brown color on each side (about 5 minutes). Place them on a plate covered with a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess grease.
V. Serve with cucumber raita.
Pancakes
Level
Easy
Prep Time
10 minutes, plus 30 minutes for resting
Cook Time
15 minutes
Makes 8
5 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cups milk
1 ¼ cups flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup sugar
Vegetable oil
Chocolate syrup, for garnish
Chocolate shavings, for garnish
Fresh raspberries, for garnish
I. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat.
II. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and flour. Add the melted butter.
III. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add the salt, lemon zest, and sugar. Stir the egg mixture into the milk-flour mixture. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
IV. Heat some oil in a small nonstick pan. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter and swirl the pan so the batter thinly covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat. As soon as the upper side of the pancake begins to curdle and appear dry, turn it with a spatula and cook it until it is done. Drain the pancake on a paper towel. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.
V. Just before serving, generously drizzle the pancakes with chocolate syrup and garnish with chocolate shavings and fresh raspberries.
Tip
It is important to use just a small amount of butter and cook the pancakes on gentle heat for them to come out nice and fluffy.
SECOND BREAKFAST
Hobbiton Pumpkin Rolls
Cram
Fruitcake
Rivendell Fig Treats
Spud Cakes
Sam’s Second Breakfast
Hobbiton Pumpkin Rolls
Level
Easy
Prep Time
90 minutes, including 1 ¼ hours for rising
Bake Time
20 minutes, plus
30 minutes for cooling
Makes 8
1 ¾ cups flour, plus extra
1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
10 ounces pumpkin puree
½ cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Also needed:
Kitchen string
I. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
II. In a bowl, combine the flour, dry yeast, salt, and sugar. Add pumpkin puree and warm water and knead into a smooth dough. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and set in a warm place to allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
III. In the meantime, cut kitchen string into 8 pieces of about 20 inches each.
IV. Dust countertop with flour, then cut the risen dough into 8 pieces of equal size. Roll each piece into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, dust with some more flour.
V. Roll kitchen string in flour, then place each piece of string right under the center of one of the dough balls. Pull string up to the top of the roll and cross both ends. Turn the roll around and repeat process on the other side until the string separates the dough ball into 8 segments of about equal size. Tie the ends of the kitchen string loosely to allow the dough to rise some more.
VI. Place the rolls onto the prepared baking sheet, cover, and let rise for another 15 minutes.
VII. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350°.
VIII. In a small bowl, mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of water and brush the rolls with the mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. Carefully remove kitchen string.
Cram
Level
Easy
Prep Time
15 minutes
Bake Time
15–20 minutes
Makes about 20
10 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup sunflower oil
1 egg
2 cups cereal mix (unsweetened)
2 cups spelt flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup almond slivers
½ cup hazelnuts, sliced
I. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
II. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, milk, sugar, oil, and egg until smooth.
III. In a separate bowl, combine the cereal, spelt flour, and baking powder. Add the almond slivers and hazelnuts slices, mix well, and add to the cottage cheese–milk mixture. Knead thoroughly.
IV. Using two tablespoons, arrange roughly rounded portions of dough on the prepared baking sheet.
V. Depending on their size, bake the cram for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on sheet for a few minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Fruitcake
Level
Easy
Prep Time
20 minutes, plus 12 hours for soaking
Bake Time
85–95 minutes, including time for cooling
Makes 1 loaf
1 ½ pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 cups dried fruit, (such as figs, raisins, dates, apricots), roughly chopped
1 ¼ cups cane sugar
1 ¼ cups nuts, roasted and finely chopped
2 tablespoons gingerbread seasoning
1 pinch salt
½ tablespoon cocoa powder
¼ cup rum
Butter
1 cup flour, plus extra for dusting baking dish
1 tablespoon baking powder
Also needed:
Loaf pan (about 12 by 4 inches)
I. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the apples, dried fruit, sugar, nuts, gingerbread seasoning, salt, and cocoa powder. Add rum, combine well, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let soak overnight.
II. Preheat oven to 350°.
III. Grease loaf pan with butter, then dust it with flour.
IV. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the baking powder and add to the dried fruit–rum mixture. Stir into a smooth batter. Fill loaf pan, smooth surface of the batter, and bake for 70 to 80 minutes. Let cool in pan for 25 minutes, then overturn onto a cutting board.
Tip
The fruitcake tastes best when you tightly wrap it with plastic wrap immediately after cooling and let it sit at room temperature for a day.
Rivendell Fig Treats
Level
Easy
Prep Time
5 minutes
Makes 4
4 ripened figs
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 walnuts
Honey
4 small leaves fresh mint, for garnish
I. Wash the figs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Using a small knife, cut them into quarters without separating them at the bottom. Carefully press the lower half so the fruit opens like a blossom.
II. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth.
III. Drop 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each fig, garnish with a walnut, and drizzle with honey. Top each treat off with a small mint leaf and serve immediately.
Spud Cakes
Level
Easy
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Serves 4
For the spud cakes:
2 pounds potatoes (waxy), washed, dried, and roughly grated
1 onion, peeled and grated
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 pinch black pepper
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the tomato-cream cheese dip:
6 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
¼ cup dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly minced
Salt
Pepper
Fresh dill, finely chopped
Preparing the spud cakes:
I. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix grated potatoes and onion, eggs, salt, flour, and pepper with your hands.
II. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat until it sizzles. Using a ladle, carefully add the potato mix (about 1 ladle per cake) and fry until the spud cakes have set (about 3 to 4 minutes). Turn and fry them on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Place them on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain.
