TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1 LARGE WHITE ONION, DICED
2 TABLESPOONS CHILI POWDER
1 TABLESPOON GROUND CINNAMON
4 CLOVES CRUSHED GARLIC
1 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN
3 (28-OUNCE) CANS STEWED TOMATOES
1 MEDIUM ACORN SQUASH, PEELED AND DICED
1 (10-OUNCE) CAN PINTO BEANS
1 CUP WATER OR STOCK OF YOUR CHOICE
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
Add the chili powder and cinnamon and continue to sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Mix in the garlic and cumin and sauté for 2 minutes more before adding the tomatoes.
Stir until the tomatoes have broken down and have a smooth texture.
Stir the squash, pinto beans and water and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let the stew simmer until squash is tender.
Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary. The finished stew should have a thick consistency.
HAYMITCH-STYLE BOILED CABBAGE AND BURNT MEAT
SERVES 4
Haymitch cared more about drink than he did food. Granted, he had a lot of reasons to drown his thoughts, and he was used to an abundance of food. Katniss was assaulted by the smells of cabbage and burnt meat when she visited his unkempt home. Perhaps he’d recently eaten this dish.
You can use either red or green cabbage for this recipe. It’s a great use of leftover ham from another meal.
2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER
1 ONION, CHOPPED
1 SMALL HEAD CABBAGE, COARSELY CHOPPED
¼ CUP WATER
3 LARGE POTATOES, SCRUBBED AND SLICED
1 DASH SALT
2 CUPS CUBED, COOKED HAM
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onions in the butter until soft and translucent.
Add cabbage and stir. Add the water, cover and simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes, then add potatoes and salt, cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Allow to simmer, covered, for an additional 5–10 minutes, until cabbage is soft and potatoes are almost completely cooked and fork tender.
Add the ham to the cabbage and continue cooking until potatoes are done, about 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary and season to taste with salt.
LAVENDER COOKIES FIT FOR A PRESIDENT
YIELDS 24 COOKIES
When President Snow paid the Everdeen home a visit, Mrs. Everdeen brought him a plate of cookies delicately decorated with flowers. Such a pretty display for such an ominous and tense teatime!
These cookies are a little trouble to make, but they’re unusually pretty. They’d make a beautiful display for a Hunger Games party or a holiday platter.
1 CUP BUTTER
1 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
1 CUP WHITE SUGAR
1 CUP CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR
2 EGGS
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
1 TABLESPOON FRESH LAVENDER FLOWERS
4 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1 TEASPOON CREAM OF TARTAR
1 TEASPOON SALT
½ CUP WHITE CAKE FROSTING WITH 3–4 DROPS GREEN FOOD COLORING, MIXED WELL
24 INDIVIDUAL LAVENDER FLOWERS FOR DECORATION
In a large bowl, whip together the butter, oil, white sugar and confectioner’s sugar until smooth.
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, and then stir in the vanilla and the tablespoon of lavender. (It is best to chop the lavender finely before adding it to the mixture.)
Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the sugar mixture until just blended.
Cover and chill dough for 3–4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease cookie sheets. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of dough.
Roll the chilled dough into Ping-Pong-sized balls and roll them in sugar if desired.
Place the balls onto the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Press into each ball with the open end of a clean plastic thread spool. (Dip the spool into the sugar between each cookie to prevent sticking problems.)
Bake for 8–10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Do not over bake or your cookies will not be chewy and moist.
Allow cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing them from the oven.
Load a frosting bag with the green frosting and place a dollop in the center of each cookie.
Place 1 lavender flower in the center of each dollop.
PAPRIKA DUCK AND ROSEMARY TUBERS WITH GRAVY
SERVES 8
Katniss tubers and groosling featured heavily in the Hunger Games trilogy. Both were a huge part of the survival of the characters that had the hunting and foraging skills to acquire them.
Since we’ve included other groosling and katniss dishes, we’ll use duck and yucca here. The duck adds an interesting flavor and texture that goes very well with the starchiness of the yucca.
DUCK:
2 TEASPOONS SALT
2 TEASPOONS PAPRIKA
1 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER
1 (5-POUND)
