Grace Berrow´s Sloppy Beans

By Gillian Wilkins

Mamayaya recently sat down with Mallorca's very much loved chef, the delectable Grace Berrow. Grace generously shares with us her recipe for a bowl of scrumptious "Sloppy Beans" and reflects with us on her journey into motherhood so far. If you are familiar with Grace´s food, you will have learnt that all things soupy and "sloppy" (as she likes to call it), are very much a work of art. These humble yet decadent bowls of delightful slop reflect a sense of tenderness, comfort and deep wholesome nourishment, perfect for all kinds of weather, but especially good in the comfort of your own home, snuggled with your most loved ones.

YOU ARE A NEW MOTHER, STILL IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF POSTPARTUM, NAVIGATING A NEW PHASE, A NEW BODY AND A NEW RHYTHM. REFLECTING ON YOUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL AND WAS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR YOU FEEL HAS SUPPORTED YOU THE MOST DURING THE EARLY POSTPARTUM WEEKS / MONTHS? IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THAT TIME YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY?

I feel utterly humbled by the whole experience of motherhood thus far. I think it is such an every day occurrence in life around us that it was not until going through pregnancy and these first few weeks of motherhood that I have really given enough gravitas to the enormity of creating, carrying and birthing new life and the miracle that is. I think I placed my focus so much on carrying and birthing a healthy baby I had not spent much time thinking on what came next and how tenderly I was going to have to carry myself. I think food has been even more important to me than ever, supporting my physical body with nutrients but also the food cooked by my boyfriend that is such a gift, it has made me think so much about the energy we put into food when we cook, the intention and love that the receiver/ eater can feel is so powerful.

YOU ARE A PHENOMENAL CHEF AND A HUGE INSPIRATION. HOW ARE YOU NOURISHING YOURSELF THROUGH POSTPARTUM? HAVE THERE BEEN ANY MEALS OR INGREDIENTS YOU HAVE LEANED ON DURING THIS TENDER TIME THAT YOU FEEL WERE INCREDIBLY BENEFICIAL FOR YOU? HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD CHANGED IN ANY WAY?

Absolutely the way I see food shifted greatly in the first 3 months, I felt I was eating on a much more primitive level, eating to feed my baby, I felt like my body was just a mini stop off for the nutrients before they reached where they were actually going. I think always having a supply of bone broth was so essential. I had a camping gas hob outside in the garden that always had a bubbling cauldron of bones and vegetables simmering away. The broth felt so nourishing to drink but also made making a warming cosy meal so much easier as I had a liquid flavour and nutrient bomb at the ready. Broth and a cupboard full of cooked beans and pulses made cooking lightening fast sustaining food as easy as it could have been with just one hand. I really just wanted to eat the same kind of sloppy warm food day after day, soups and stews with all their hydration and comfort were what we lived on.
I think I see food more than ever now in terms of its nutritional value as opposed to equally valuing its flavour and the way it looks, of course flavour is allllllways important but munching as much goodness as possible is a daily priority now. Another non negotiable for us was a weekly trip to the bio market in Palma to gather as many veggies as our fridge would hold. I think knowing how mineral rich they were and how much easier it is to cook with really great vegetables (because they pack such a wonderful flavour without even touching them) made the sometimes seemingly momentous effort of all getting in the car so so worth it and felt like a beautiful act of care for us all as a family.

FINDING TIME TO REST AND REPLENISH ALONGSIDE THE NEEDS AND RHYTHM OF A NEWBORN CAN BE A CHALLENGE BUT SO IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US MOTHERS TO PRIORITISE. DO YOU HAVE ANY SELF CARE PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT YOU? OR ANY NON-NEGOTIABLE DAILY RITUALS?

As soon as I was able to I started walking to our friends cafe each morning in Binniaraix, it was such a tonic to go for a stroll in the fresh winter air after a wonky nights sleep. That hour of fresh air each morning was so necessary for my body and mind, even if I "did nothing" for the rest of the day I knew I'd had a walk, chatted to friends and strangers and eaten something sweet and delicious. I think exercise full stop has been my post partum saviour it's a whole festival of joy for my body, moving freely and unattached to another being for just a few moments in a day.....before I go speeding back for endless cuddles.

MOTHERHOOD STARTS WITH MATRESCENCE, WHERE WOMEN EXPERIENCE THE BIGGEST AND MOST PROFOUND EVOLUTION, SLOWLY BECOMING SOMEONE ELSE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. IT CAN BE EMPOWERING AND DISORIENTATING AT THE SAME TIME. IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING? ANY SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS OR EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE CHALLENGED YOU? I AM SURE SO MANY OTHERS CAN RELATE AND BY SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES WE CAN NORMALISE AND VALIDATE HOW NEW MOTHERS MAY BE FEELING, ESPECIALLY WHEN EXPERIENCES CAN BE DIFFICULT?

I feel like it has taken until now (5 months post postpartum) to digest even the first few weeks of motherhood so who knows in a few more months what I will be processing from the place I am now! It's such a wild change that seems to run both fast and slow, hot and cold and is utterly unrelenting. The changes are in all elements of life all at the same time and for sure some days I have really struggled to let go of what life was like before becoming a mother and other days I have felt totally heart bursting with joy and pride for my little family and all the change that we have been through to get where we are. I have found my emotions very polarised at times and sometimes this is disorientating.
On reflection a big preoccupation of mine was the change that might take place in my relationship with Naza. I was somehow unwilling to let go of how vital and intimate our relationship was and fully embrace us being two beings fully in service to this tiny human, together but with something divine very much in the middle now. I was no longer a girl with a boyfriend but I still wanted to feel that way, I slowly realised it was impossible to be everything to everyone and that diving deep into being a Mama and caring for my tired body was really where my focus had to lie at least for these early months. In clinging on to the old status quo I was denying myself the full depth and beauty of surrendering to whatever and whoever we were becoming as individuals, parents and a couple.

AND LASTLY, ANY TIPS FOR MOTHERS ON HOW THEY CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR LIFE WITH A NEWBORN?

Maybe just to say that everything you feel is real and true, none of it is worth trying to bury or ignore, you have already come so far by the time your baby is in your arms and for the next bit you can only do your best and take one day at a time. It's wonderfully surreal and totally unprecedented (if it is your first baby) your feelings are wild and beautiful, thoughts and sensations will come and go with great intensity and just to let them flow in and out knowing that all storms pass and the hard parts are not forever, your baby will only be tiny tiny for a fleeting moment so try to dive in to every peaceful moment you have to just stare at them.

GRACE´S SLOPPY BEANS

This is a recipe for when you have little time and are in need of something comforting and wholesome. I would make a double recipe and add different toppings / fillers on the days that follow.

1 jar of cooked & unrinsed chickpeas (Navarico or Bold Bean are the best I know of)

7 leeks

1 white onion (sliced)

4 garlic cloves

pinch of chilli flakes

pinch of fennel seeds

sea salt flakes

extra virgin olive oil

10 sage leaves

a few sprigs of thyme or marjoram

1 lemon

350ml chicken stock or water

1 tbs white miso paste

Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the side of your knife, add them to a heavy bottomed pan with the sage/marjoram/thyme, 3 strips of lemon peel (you can use your potato peeler), 4 tbs olive oil, a big pinch of salt and grind of black pepper, chilli flakes & fennel seeds.

Slowly cook these together until the garlic starts to soften but not brown, add more olive oil if things are looking dry. 

Cut the leeks into large diagonal slices and add them to the pan, stir to coat in oil and let everything cook gently. 

After 5 mins add the onion. You want it all to soften but not brown. You can put the lid half on and let them cook away. 

Once the leeks are floppy and you can squish them with your spoon, add the unrinsed chickpeas, chicken stock or water and the miso paste.

Simmer everything together for 20 mins

If you would like it more creamy you can take out a couple of laddels of the mix and blend it in a Nutribullet before adding it back in or leave it as it is. 

Ladel into bowls, sprinkle over chopped fresh parsley, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a good glug of olive oil.

ADDITIONS FOR ANOTHER DAY....

A few handfuls of frozen peas added when re-heating

Cooked white beans or any cooked pulses for a real festival of beige

Any leftover cooked vegetables can be stirred in

Cooked white basmati

Toasted nuts and seeds 

A mountain of parmesan 

If you add less stock, more like 100ml you can sprinkle the finished dish in parmesan and olive oil and bake it in the oven till golden. This is great for dunking sourdough.