Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for fuss-unfastened savoury bakes

by Micheal Quinn

Baking and pastry are commonly related to discipline, endurance, precision, and strict adherence to primary technology. That is genuinely genuine of some aspects of baking (I’d truely persist with the commands for an awesome Victoria sponge, say). However, there are some savory bakes that, for me, are all approximately gambling around and now not being zealous approximately what is going in and while.

savoury bakes

So here, for all you loose spirits (and baking phobes) obtainable, is a cornbread, a pie, and a flan that exhibit 3 ways of baking without a particularly complicated system, or maybe strict rules. I’ve continually kept my cornbread extra on the savory aspect, with such additions as feta and chili. This greater classic takes echoes the herbal sweetness of corn within the excellent feasible way, in a sweet/salty mixture that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch. Avocado, in any form or shape, will paintings properly along.

Prep 5 min
Cook 50 min
Cool 45 min
Serves 8-10

210g unsalted butter, reduce in half of
210g quick-cook dinner polenta
210g simple flour
1¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
⅓ tsp bicarbonate of soda
450g fresh corn kernels (from about three cobs), or the equal in frozen kernels, defrosted
3 tbsp runny honey, plus extra to serve
200g Greek-style yogurt
80ml entire milk
3 eggs, overwhelmed
20g chives, finely chopped
Black pepper

Heat the oven to 220C (210C fan)/450F/gasoline 7. Put the butter in a 28cm-diameter solid iron saute pan, then positioned it within the oven for 12-15 mins, or till melted and browned. Pour all but a tablespoon and a half of the butter right into a bowl and set the pan apart.

Meanwhile, in a massive bowl, whisk the polenta, flour, salt, baking powder, and bicarb collectively. Put the corn in a meal processor and pulse a few instances, until more or less chopped, then tip right into a big bowl and upload the honey, yogurt, milk, eggs, chives, and a beneficiant quantity of pepper, whisking to combine.

Tip the corn combination and the bowl of browned butter into the dry substances, and stir thru till simply mixed; however, no longer overmixed. Transfer the mixture to the buttered cast-iron pan you used in advance, smoothing out the top with the lower back of a spoon, baking for 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden and brown around the rims, and a skewer comes out smooth from the center. Leave to cool within the pan for a minimum of 45 minutes earlier than serving, with extra honey drizzled on top, if you like.

Poha and coconut flan

Poha (or power) is cooked flattened and fried rice. You can discover it in maximum Asian grocery stores, and make sure you get the thick flakes, now not the skinny ones, because they’re more likely to keep their form. Poha is broadly used in Indian cookery and is typically served at breakfast. Here, I’ve taken the conventional base and grew to become it into a savory flan that would make paintings as a breakfast or light lunch with a few smashed avocado or yogurt alongside.

Prep 40 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

150g thick poha (Indian rice flakes)
90ml olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and beaten
3cm piece sparkling ginger, peeled and finely grated
1½ crimson chilies, 1 deseeded and finely chopped, the rest thinly sliced, seeds and all
1½ tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly overwhelmed in a mortar
¾ tsp ground turmeric
2 stems curry leaves (i.e., approximately 25 leaves)
1 big (250g) potato, boiled, then peeled and reduce into 1½cm cubes
Salt and black pepper
1 lime – zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
4 tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
3 big eggs
300g 70%-fats coconut milk
25g sparkling coconut, finely grated
25g salted and roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Put the poha in a bowl, cover with lots of cold water and soak for 3 mins. Drain and set aside.

Put four tablespoons of oil in a big, ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid, and positioned it on medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the onion, occasionally stirring, for 10 mins, or till softened and browned. Add the garlic, ginger, chopped chili, spices, and curry leaves, and cook dinner for 2 minutes more, stirring regularly until it is fragrant.

Add the cooked potato, a teaspoon of salt, masses of pepper, and two tablespoons of water, and prepare dinner for two minutes, stirring frequently. Turn down the warmth to medium-low, then upload the pour and stir to mix. Cover and leave to steam, undisturbed, for 3 minutes, till the poha is cooked thru. Stir thru the lime juice and two-thirds of the coriander, then tip out into a bowl and leave to chill slightly for about 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, and half a teaspoon of salt, then stir them into the cooled poha aggregate. Wipe out the saute pan, upload a tablespoon and a half of oil and swirl the pan round to coat its base and facets. Add the poha mixture, spread it out to distribute it flippantly, and then bake for 15 minutes or simply set. Remove and leave to chill slightly – about 10 mins.

While the poha is cooling, make the topping. In a small bowl, blend the fresh coconut, peanuts, sliced crimson chili, final coriander, and lime zest. To serve, pinnacle the poha flan with the coconut aggregate, then drizzle over the ultimate teaspoon and a half of-oil and serve without delay from the pan.

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