Ferro Di Cavallo, The Horseshoe of Sekhmet

Let’s talk for a minute about the Horsehoe of Sehkmet, which is the final Bread of Dreams from my debut novel, Tales of the Mistress.

It’s a horseshoe shape, because, well, duh. Because of Beaute, Epi’s horse, who helps Epi get to Psomi. (An important FYI though, be sure to turn your horseshoe up, not down, to attract the most luck.)

Then there is Sehkmet, the Egyptian goddess of war, because, well, again, duh. Egypt is close to the Fertile Crescent, where a lot of ancient grains originated. And then add in that sometimes winter - which we are celebrating the passing of, is war. But can you fight winter? You can’t fight snow with a sword. But maybe you can with fire. And maybe with fire you can survive!

This special bread comes near the end of the story, and it commemorates one of the Mistresses, Térèse. Térèse is Epi’s Psomi sister and was chosen by Antaia to help and assist Epi. Térèse provided Epi with the wild, gathered and foraged flowers and grains that make the bread of dreams. Térèse is the first Mistress that Epi knows, but the last one that Epi recognises as a Mistress. Do you know that feeling? Someone who has been with you all your life - or most of it - but you don’t see until it’s (almost) too late.

Térèse is all about planting the new garden in Psomi, which is on the foothills of Mt. Etna. In the novel, the search for Psomi has everything to do with fire and regeneration. As does Térèse, who is all about spring and the passing of winter. Térèse is about fighting back with sheer smarts. And with her outsmarts too.

Oh, I should have mentioned that throughout the novel, each Mistress expresses a creed or a tenet of Psomi.

Terese’s tenet is Dabant La Mort Èle Foc Nou I A Cap De Benjenço, which translated from Languedoc means Against Death and Fire, There is No Revenge.

Make this horsehoe bread as great revenge for surviving winter. It’s luscious served with a spring freekeh salad. One with violets, wild onions, wild fennel, and warm, just cooked, freekeh.

But that recipe will have to come later.

And next time, I have a special assignment for you!

Here’s the recipe for the Horseshoe of Sehkmet!

Makes 4 horseshoes - perfect for one horse.

¼ cup honey

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

2 cups warm water

1 cup levain

2 cups blue emmer flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup French red wheat flour

½ cup ground walnuts

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon anise seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted and ground

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons semolina or corn meal for baking.

Begin with a medium bowl or quart size measuring cup combine levain, honey, yeast and 2 cups warm water. Mix with wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved.

Let mixture sit until it is frothy.

In a large bowl, or in an electric Kitchen-Aid mixer, add the blue emmer flour, salt, and ground anise seeds and sesame seeds.

Pour the frothy cup of liquids into the Kitchen-Aid mixing bowl of flours and then turn on and let the two become one!

Add in the remaining spelt and french red wheat flour as needed to make a firm, but not sticky dough. When satisfied with the consistency add in the olive oil.

Sprinkle your work surface with some flour, and remove dough from the bowl and knead for five minutes. Shape into a round and let rest for an hour. Knead again and place in a floured container and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the fridge and let come to room temp.

Knead each piece into a round and let set for an hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle the back side of a sheet pan with cornmeal.

Do your final shaping of the rounds into a horseshoe or crescent shape.

Place horseshoes on pan. Cover loosely with a dry kitchen towel, and let loaves rise for about 30 minutes or until a finger pressed in the side of the dough leaves a deep indentation. Slash each crescent in 3-5 places with a bread knife to release gas.

If you have a baking stone, that will help them get crispy and crusty. Slide onto your hot baking stone in the oven and bake breads for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees, and bake about 20 minutes longer or until bottom of bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove horseshoes from oven, and let cool before tearing into them to eat.