Top | Jam Today

Dog's Stodge

(recipe, Tod Davies)


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Introduction

The subtitle of Tod Davies's charming book Jam Today is "a diary of cooking with what you've got." That's her approach to feeding herself and loved ones, including her dogs. For homemade dog food, which she calls "Dog's Stodge," Davies recommends collecting vegetable scraps (peelings, stems, tops), then throwing them into a pot with the cheapest best meat and an inexpensive starch. She takes her ratio from MFK Fisher: 1/3, 1/3, 1/3: one pound of meat, one pound of starch, one pound of vegetables. As Davies's recipe is written in prose form, I've taken the liberty to format it, inserting her suggestions along the way. I made the stodge with beef liver (sold frozen at my neighborhood store), which I thawed for an hour or so, then chopped it while it was still partially frozen. I also used rolled oats (cheap and fast cooking), lots of vegetable scraps (including some beet tails) and apple peels, too. Once cooked, it looked like a stodgy, lurid pink porridge. No matter, my dog loved it! Licked the bowl. Licked the floor around the bowl. Walked away only to return and lick the bowl again. And the whole pot, which I'll be mixing in with her dry food for weeks to come (I stowed half in the freezer), cost less than $5 (not counting the vegetables scraps since the vegetables were consumed by my family and the pairings would have been composted).

Introduction

The subtitle of Tod Davies's charming book Jam Today is "a diary of cooking with what you've got." That's her approach to feeding herself and loved ones, including her dogs. For homemade dog food, which she calls "Dog's Stodge," Davies recommends collecting vegetable scraps (peelings, stems, tops), then throwing them into a pot with the cheapest best meat and an inexpensive starch. She takes her ratio from MFK Fisher: 1/3, 1/3, 1/3: one pound of meat, one pound of starch, one pound of vegetables. As Davies's recipe is written in prose form, I've taken the liberty to format it, inserting her suggestions along the way. I made the stodge with beef liver (sold frozen at my neighborhood store), which I thawed for an hour or so, then chopped it while it was still partially frozen. I also used rolled oats (cheap and fast cooking), lots of vegetable scraps (including some beet tails) and apple peels, too. Once cooked, it looked like a stodgy, lurid pink porridge. No matter, my dog loved it! Licked the bowl. Licked the floor around the bowl. Walked away only to return and lick the bowl again. And the whole pot, which I'll be mixing in with her dry food for weeks to come (I stowed half in the freezer), cost less than $5 (not counting the vegetables scraps since the vegetables were consumed by my family and the pairings would have been composted).

Introduction

The subtitle of Tod Davies' charming book Jam Today is "a diary of cooking with what you've got." That's her approach to feeding herself and her loved ones, including her dogs. For homemade dog food, which she calls "Dog's Stodge," Davies recommends collecting vegetable scraps (peelings, stems, tops), then throwing them into a pot with the cheapest best meat and an inexpensive starch. She takes her one-thirds ratio from MFK Fisher: one pound of meat, one pound of starch, one pound of vegetables. As Davies' recipe is written in prose form, I've taken the liberty to format it, inserting her suggestions along the way. I made the stodge with beef liver (sold frozen at my neighborhood store), which I thawed for an hour or so, then chopped it while it was still partially frozen. I also used rolled oats (cheap and fast cooking), lots of vegetable scraps (including some beet tails) and apple peels, too. Once cooked, it looked like a stodgy, lurid pink porridge. No matter, my dog loved it! Licked the bowl. Licked the floor around the bowl. Walked away only to return and lick the bowl again. And the whole pot, which I'll be mixing in with her dry food for weeks to come (I stowed half in the freezer), cost less than $5 (not counting the vegetables scraps since the vegetables were consumed by my family and the pairings would have been composted).

Introduction

The subtitle of Tod Davies's charming book Jam Today is "a diary of cooking with what you've got." That's her approach to feeding herself and loved ones, including her dogs. For homemade dog food, which she calls "Dog's Stodge," Davies recommends collecting vegetable scraps (peelings, stems, tops), then throwing them into a pot with the cheapest best meat and an inexpensive starch. She takes her ratio from MFK Fisher: 1/3, 1/3, 1/3: one pound of meat, one pound of starch, one pound of vegetables. As Davies's recipe is written in prose form, I've taken the liberty to format it, inserting her suggestions along the way. I made the stodge with beef liver (sold frozen at my neighborhood store), which I thawed for an hour or so, then chopped it while it was still partially frozen. I also used rolled oats (cheap and fast cooking), lots of vegetable scraps (including some beet tails) and apple peels, too. Once cooked, it looked like a stodgy, lurid pink porridge. No matter, my dog loved it! Licked the bowl. Licked the floor around the bowl. Walked away only to return and lick the bowl again. And the whole pot, which I'll be mixing in with her dry food for weeks to come (I stowed half in the freezer), cost less than $5 (not counting the vegetables scraps since the vegetables were consumed by my family and the pairings would have been composted).

Ingredients

  1. Vegetable oil or other fat
  2. Vegetable oil or other fat
  3. Vegetable oil or other fat
  4. Vegetable oil or other fat
  5. Vegetable oil or other fat
  6. Vegetable oil or other fat
  7. 1 lb. meat (the cheapest, best quality you can find; beef or lamb liver, kidneys, ground chicken or turkey)
  8. 1 lb. meat: the cheapest, best quality you can find (beef or lamb liver, kidneys, ground chicken)
  9. 1 lb. chopped meat; try beef or lamb liver, kidneys, and ground chicken or turkey
  10. 1 lb. meat: the cheapest, best quality you can find (beef or lamb liver, kidneys, ground chicken)
  11. 1 lb. meat: the cheapest, best quality you can find (beef or lamb liver, kidneys, ground chicken)
  12. 1 lb. chopped meat; try beef or lamb liver, kidneys, and ground chicken or turkey
  13. 1 lb. chopped vegetables and collected peels/tops/parings; try carrots, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. (see Note, below, about what not to include)
  14. 1 lb. chopped vegetables and collected peels/tops/parings; try carrots, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. (see Note, below, about what not to include)
  15. 1 lb. vegetables, chopped and/or pairings collected throughout the week: carrot, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. See note below about what not to include
  16. 1 lb. vegetables, chopped and/or pairings collected throughout the week: carrot, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. See note below about what not to include
  17. 1 lb. chopped vegetables and collected peels/tops/parings; try carrots, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. (see Note, below, about what not to include)
  18. 1 lb. chopped vegetables and collected parings; try carrots, celery, turnips, chard leaves or stems, parsley and cilantro stems, etc. (see Note, below, about what not to include)
  19. 1 lb. starch: oats, wheat berries (presoaked)
  20. 1 lb. starch: oats, wheat berries (presoaked)
  21. 1 lb. starch; try rolled oats, presoaked wheat berries, or other inexpensive whole grains, such as rice and barley
  22. 1 lb. starch; try rolled oats, presoaked wheat berries, or other inexpensive whole grains, such as rice and barley
  23. 1 lb. starch: oats, wheat berries (presoaked), or other inexpensive whole grains (rice, barley)
  24. 1 lb. starch; try rolled oats, presoaked wheat berries, or other inexpensive whole grains, such as rice and barley
  25. Optional: Leftover bits and pieces hanging out in your fridge, such as dried-out cheese rinds and stale tortillas, bread, or cooked pasta; try also skin from smoked salmon or mackerel; crumbled dried seaweed; and salt and pepper

Steps

  1. In a large pot, heat the oil or another kind of fat. Brown the chopped meat, then add the vegetables and the starch. Pour enough water over the mixture to cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook 15 to 30 minutes, until "everything's cooked so it's digestible." (The wheat berries, if you're using them, will take longer to cook.) Let cool, then store, covered, in the fridge.
  2. To serve, mix half and half: half Dog's Stodge, half good-quality dry dog food. "If you want to be kind to your dog," writes Davies about commercial dry dog food, "look for one that lists actual meat as the first or second ingredient."

Note

Do not include potatoes, onions, garlic, or avocadoes; these are all toxic to dogs. Skip tomatoes and legumes, too (dogs don't like the latter). And while some dogs tolerate wheat and corn just fine, others fare better on rice and oats.