fast farinata, my way

recently this has become my favourite hot breakfast - i'm sure the genuine article takes a bit more time and trouble but this one is good enough for me - it's a great base for all sorts of added flavourings, fillings and toppings, also a good substitute for flour-based flatbreads

the "real thing" is baked in the oven, but this is more convenient for a quick light meal

no quantities, just a bit of guessing! basically chickpea flour, water or water & milk/yoghurt, a pinch of baking powder or bicarb with seasonings to taste

this one had fresh thyme, chopped red onion, green olives,
 green pepper and some crumbled feta

ingredients

Chickpea flour - also known as Gram flour

water or water with some milk or yogurt

a good pinch of baking powder or bicarbonate of soda

olive oil

flavourings to taste: salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs, chopped onion, other finely chopped veg (and/or meat scraps)

method

for one "pancake" in a small pan i use a couple of well heaped tablespoons of chickpea flour whisked to a thick crepe batter with the chosen liquid

i am told it is better if you can make it in advance and let it stand with any herbs, salt and pepper you are adding 

whisk in baking powder/bicarb and add other chopped flavourings

heat your pan with some olive oil, so that the batter will sizzle a bit when added - pour in the batter and turn the heat down a bit once it has "set", bubbles should also appear

flip and cook the other side - you can also top it with some cheese while the second side cooks

serve and eat warm

Ondwho, Ondwha or Handvoh - a savoury cake

this is a Gujerati snack, but we often eat it as part of a vegetarian meal - it is usually made in a cake tin but if you make it in muffin or cupcake tins/cases they make neat portions which are handy for buffet meals and packed lunches

you can vary the vegetable ingredients depending on what you have available and this freezes very well, so don't worry about it making quite a lot - I have modified the method a little to suit western cooking styles.

onwha/handvoh flour is a ready mixed blend of lentil and rice flours - it can be hard to find, but you can use a mixture of gram flour and rice flour which is more easily found in large supermarkets and international food stores.

ingredients:

• 8oz (225g) ondwho flour or 6oz gram flour and 2oz rice flour
• 7oz (210g) live yoghurt  or low fat yoghurt + 1tsp lemon juice
• 100ml warm water
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• green chillies to taste, finely chopped

• 4oz (110g) sweetcorn, chopped a bit                          
• 1 - 2 carrots, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 small potatoes, finely chopped
• 2 small onions, finely chopped

              or 1-1.5  pts (500 -750 ml) of any mixture of veg

• 2tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped/minced
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala

• 2 tsp bicarb of soda + 1tbsp warm water

• a little oil
• 2tsp brown mustard seeds
• 2tsp cumin seeds
• 2tbsp sesame seeds

method

day 1

• combine flour, yoghurt, water, salt, sugar, turmeric & chillies, beat to a smooth paste, cover & leave somewhere warm, if possible overnight, to ferment

day 2

• heat the oil, add the seeds, leave a few seconds till they start popping, cover and remove from the heat - leave to cool
• add all the prepared veg & coriander to the fermented yoghurt mixture
• dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in water & the add to the mixture with most of the oil & seeds - the mixture should be fairly sloppy but not runny
• spread evenly in a  lined 12” square baking tin, cover with the rest of the oil & seeds
• bake at G6 200C, 400F for 30 mins - till firm & springy like a sponge cake - it doesn't rise much
• cool a bit before turning out, eat warm or cold with a fresh relish, salsa or chutney

notes

• i have made this successfully without fermenting it overnight but the yoghurt must be a sour one rather than a creamy thickened one
• in individual muffin or cupcake tins reduce the cooking time to 15-20 mins

scones - more than a tea-time treat

mostly people think of scones with cream and jam, for tea - but when you notice the similarity between them and american biscuits their horizons widen


a basic scone mixture is an excellent and quick vehicle for all sorts of flavours, both sweet and savoury - i often make savoury scones to accompany soups, stews and casserole instead of bread, dumplings or potatoes - both sweet and savoury versions can also be used as a lower fat replacement for a pastry crust or as a "cobbler" topping - more about this in another post, or two ...

basic scone mixture

• 8oz plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 level tsp cream of tartar
• 2oz butter 
• 1 tbsp sugar (for sweet scones only, adjust to taste)
• 5 fl oz milk (or milk/yoghurt/kefir/buttermilk & water)

method

• set your oven to Gas 8, 230C, 450F (adjust for fan assisted ovens)
• sift the flour into a fairly large bowl and add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar
• rub or cut in the fat like you would for a crumble - i grate the butter, dipping it into the flour to stop it melting on my hand
• for sweet scones add the sugar and any fruit or other flavourings
• for savoury scones add cheese or other flavourings
• add almost all the liquid, hold back a little in case you need it - fork it in until the mixture just holds together, it should not be a smooth dough if if you still have lots of dry mixture add a little more liquid - it's better to have a few crumbs of dry mix than an over-wet mix 

Note: this can be done in a food processor, use blades to rub in the fat then change to a hook for adding the rest of the dry ingredients, the egg and milk (if needed) in controlled pulses

• flour your hands and work surface, tip the dough out and lightly pat the dough together, so that any dry mixture gets incorporated 
• now you can shape the dough with your hands or with a rolling pin - for scones i cut the dough in 2 and make round cakes, deeply scored into 4 quarter each - they spread so space them well on a baking tray - they don't rise much so make them 3/4 -1 inch high
• bake for 10 - 15 mins, until beginning to colour - check after 9-10 mins 
• cool on a rack

variations

flour: substitute up to 2oz cornflour, i find this makes them nice and light with a crisp-ish crust, or 1oz wholemeal flour & 1 oz cornflour for a bit more fibre
baking powder can be used instead of 'bicarb and tartar', but i find i get a better result with 'bicarb and tartar'
brush scones with a little milk or beaten egg before baking
fruit scones: add about 2 oz  of  sultanas, currants and/or chopped glace cherries

savoury scones:

• cheese scones - 2-3oz grated or finely chopped cheese, a strong cheddar or mix of cheddar and parmesan is good + 1/2 tsp mustard or marmite in the milk or mustard powder + a pince of chili powder
• cheese & herb - 2oz grated cheese (as above) or crumble feta, + fresh herbs to taste - if using dried herbs add them to the milk earlier and warm the milk a little to help them infuse
• cheese & walnut - 2oz grated cheese including some blue cheese - a tablespoon of roughly chopped walnuts
• cheese & olive - 2oz feta or goats cheese + 8-12 chopped olives
• also try chopped sun-dried tomatoes, after soaking in hot water (not the ones in oil - too heavy) 
• syrian pinwheel scones

........ now make up your own variations

tips

the most important points with scones are:
      1. minimum liquid - use just enough to bring the mixture together
      2. minimum handling - be light and airy and your scones will be too!
      2. a very hot oven - this gets them rising fast so remember to turn it on before you start

use a food processor - if you use the dough hook instead of a blade this does the rubbing in beautifully - after adding the liquid do short pulses to mix it in, this way you can avoid over mixing

there are some good video demonstrations of scone making online if you feel unsure about the method