Silvery skies, Kac Kac and friends as neighbours

Tonight’s sky, silken, silvery with inky clouds and soft golden ripples; nestles around the houses, rooftops and trees. For a moment absolute silence in the street, with cool air wending it’s way through open windows.

Now, faint sounds of birdsong, a rumble of traffic in the distance, and from no where a crow cuts across the skyline. Night arrives.

Earlier my lovely neighbour and friend, Suad, spent the afternoon teaching me how to make samosas and Kac Kac – Somalian donuts. She’s been making them since she was a child. The samosas are an act of love and I ate them for my supper.

We cooked creatively, Suad doesn’t use a recipe, these foods are in her bones. And so, although I don’t have exact measurements I can share what we did, and I think if you try it, although the quantities are rough, you will have a lot of fun. There is something so deeply relaxing about having a go, a play, and not minding if it doesn’t quite work out right. This is my favourite way of cooking.

Samosas

These were vegan samosa but you could cook mince and use that instead of the potato and peas in the following recipe.

We began by cooking up two potatoes. While they cooked we put chopped coriander leaf (about a handful) into a bowl, with one small red onion also chopped, and two spring onions chopped small. We added about a cup of cooked peas. Then, when the potato was ready we chopped very small and added to the bowl.

Next we made pastry with about one and a half cups of bread flour (not self-raising), adding two teaspoons of sunflower oil, a pinch of salt, enough water to bind and some good laughter. This pastry was divided into two. We rolled one portion out on a board that spun in a circle, so that you didn’t have to keep picking up the pastry to turn. We rolled it thin, then put to one side.

Now we rolled the other portion out, and as we chatted about I don’t remember what, more laughter was added to the recipe. Then we put oil on that rolled out piece of pastry, and placed the first rolled out portion on top.

Now more rolling and then we trimmed the pastry into a circle. This was cut into four, and each piece was put in a frying pan with no oil, for about thirty seconds on each side. Then we took them out and peeled the two layers apart.

Next we stuffed the samosa. We made some ‘glue’ by mixing flour and water into a paste. Using one piece of pastry which was a rough triangle, long side at top. Put your finger at the top in the middle and take the right hand corner with other hand pulling down and folding, put paste over this then fold the left hand corner over. You create a cone which you fill with mixture then fold in, pulling over the top back bit and (using more paste as glue) you seal your samosa. This is then deep fried.

I know you probably need pictures, I would, and so I will make them again and take some. But I thought you may like to have a go because, they were delicious. And I think the chatter and lots of laughter along the way, was an extra magic ingredient.

Kac Kac (Somalian donuts)

These were much easier to make. We mixed half a cup of natural yogurt with half a cup of water. In a bowl we added one and half cups white flour, about one or two teaspoons of sugar and one egg, then whisked adding in the water and yogurt mixture. We whisked until smooth.

Next fingers dipped in cold water, that went on to scoop up some of the mixture. This was dropped into a pan that had about two inches deep hot sunflower oil

My cooker is electric with six settings, we had it on 4. They puffed up and sometimes turned themselves over. When that didn’t happen, we turned them with a slatted spoon. It took about thirty seconds to cook each one in the hot oil.

Afterwards, we sat down, put our feet up and ate the lot with maple syrup and cinnamon.

And now

The night sky has become charcoal grey, with little windows along the street lighting up, cosy and warm.

Perhaps this is a good time to tell the last little part of the first episode of my first fall asleep story.

Fall asleep stories

This is the final part of the first episode of Sam’s Story. I’ve written it to be spoken and recorded, to help children get to sleep, but it would soothe adults too.

I started writing this fall asleep story during the first Covid year of lockdowns, after I lost all my work and felt very stressed. One night lying awake I thought, this is silly, I’m trained to support people to manage stress, I need to do this for myself.

And so, I closed my eyes and let a story start to write itself in my mind, to soothe my tired brain, speaking it inside my head as I would for a hypnotherapy script. I always fell asleep before I got very far, and I never (at the time) made it past the first episode. The next night I would try and add a little bit more, but always fell asleep, waking up the next morning feeling well rested.

I am going to start recording it soon, so that you can listen to it if you are having trouble sleeping. It would work for any age of person, because it has been written to support the survival brain to feel completely safe.

The Sam Series: the fourth and final extract from episode one. Here are the first second and third extracts.

“Sam walks towards the wall, that separates the pond from the garden where Sams bare feet, are enjoying…the early morning dew.

Pulling up, Sam is now on top of the wall, and has a clear view of next doors pond, where the dragon flies are playing…bright blue bodies gliding through the clear, pale orange sky, surfing the air currents, and hovering just above the water of the pond.

The pond has a silent solar motor that creates a tumble of water over small rocks, where watercress grows. Sometimes, Sam climbs over and down the wall, to pick the watercress for soup, because the walls aren’t for keeping anyone out, they are for knowing what you need to take care of. There is a fountain too, which overflows back into the pond, making the sound of a million raindrops, that glisten…in the pale orange dappled morning sunlight. Sam stares gently… down at these treasures…mesmerised, and so, so relaxed…totally at peace…undisturbed.

Then Sam climbs back over the wall, little feet making contact with the refreshingly…cool damp ground, dew drop diamonds glistening on the plants, living soil fresh with life. Those little feet of Sams patter across the ground to the back door, going in they make their way to the stairs. As Sam returns to the coziness of the bedroom and passes the bathroom, there is singing coming from the other side of the door, “This little heart of mine, I’m going to let it shine, this little heart of mine, I’m going to let it shine, this little heart of mine I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”…and Sam knows…Sam knows, that today is going to be, a very very good…day.”

Till Friday, wishing the warmest of weeks,

Lucy x