POACHED EGGS, SMOKED SALMON WITH OAT SPINACH PANCAKES

I came across this recipe whilst reading the fabulous Gluten Free Rosie blog. I have been cooking quite a few Ottolenghi recipes recently and as soon soon as I saw Rosie's recipe had been inspired by Ottolenghi I thought I had to try it!

I met Rosie at another supperclub and have already had the pleasure to visit her at her very own supperclub once already. But it's time I went again, especially after trying out one of her recipes from her fantastic blog! It's given me the taste for more of her food. 

Now, I need to state that I am not a coeliac but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy recipes that have been created for coeliacs, especially when Rosie's recipes are just so damn good! So in my recipe I used normal porridge oats, rather than the recommended gluten-free oats. Anyway here is Rosie's recipe:

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 people)

Pancake dry ingredients

• 150g certified gluten-free oats or normal oats if you're not a Coeliac
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1 large handful of spinach leaves (finely chopped)
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Pancake wet ingredients

• 250ml milk
• 1 egg (whisked)
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Sumac sour cream sauce ingredients

• 50g sour cream
• 75g  Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp sumac (a tangy, lemony spice which you can buy in all large Turkish, Arabic and Iranian supermarkets)
• 1 pinch of salt and black pepper

Piling on top ingredients

• 4 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 slices of smoked salmon
• 4 eggs
  1 tbsp White wine vinegar
• 4 tsp fresh coriander

METHOD

Pour your oats into a food processor and wizz till you have a fine flour. You'll be putting this through a sieve at a later stage to give you an idea of how fine you should get them.

(I could've made mine finer!)

Sift and whisk the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Then mix in the finely chopped spinach leaves. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and slowly add the wet ingredients, whisking well until you have a smooth batter. Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This allows the baking powder to form bubbles in the batter, leading to light and fluffy pancakes. 

Next, make your sumac cream sauce. Place the yogurt, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, sumac (you can get this at most supermarkets now, you'll find it in the herb & spices isle) and seasoning into a small bowl. Stir well and set aside.  

**Please note the cute little metal dishes. Aren't they fantastic! 

They make me feel like I'm Blue Peter "Here's one I prepared earlier". 

One of Ben's xmas stocking gifts off his mum ~ Joan, they're fab and getting used lots! x

Prep your coriander leaves, some wedge of lemon and have the paprika at hand. Using smoked paprika really makes a big difference, so if you find it use it. I've just run out :(

Next, heat a non-stick frying pan. Take ladle full of the batter and pour into the center of the pan, spreading it slightly. Keep the pan on a medium/low heat, no need too rush. Once bubbles start appearing on the surface, carefully turn them over and cook for another few minutes. Once ready transfer them onto a plate with tin foil on top to keep them warm.

Now Rosie does her eggs before doing the pancakes, however I find getting the perfect poached egg quite an intense process (I has gone horribly wrong in the past..) so need everything else done first!

So next make your runny yolk poached egg! I poached mine for 2-3 minutes with a tbsp of white wine vinegar.

Once the eggs are ready place your pancake on a plate followed by a 'swirl' of the sumac sour cream. Next place your egg, topped with the smoked salmon, coriander and paprika.

These were a real hit as was the garlic! Fortunately it was just the two of us but next time I think I shall make an extra sure I find a ubber small clove of garlic ;)

If you have any batter leftover, just cling it and pop it in the fridge. 

You don't half, look amazing when you produce this for brekkie, on a Monday morning before work! 

Now I'm off to try and bag me some tickets for the next GFR. Wish me luck! 

CHICKEN SHAWARMA SANDWICHES

This Sunday Ben took to the kitchen to create this superb lunch! We were so impressed with previous recipes by Ottolenghi that we had to try another one!

RECIPE
* "Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches" by Yotam Ottolengh

Chicken, marinade and bread:

2½ tbsp lemon juice
3 small garlic cloves, crushed
20g fresh ginger, finely grated
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp sweet paprika
1½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tbsp sumac
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¾ tsp ras el hanout;
8 chicken thighs, boneless, skin on (800g net weight)
90ml olive oil
25g chopped coriander, stems and leaves
4 large flatbreads such as pita or naan
Salt and black pepper

Red onion and cucumber salsa

Red onion and cucumber salsa:
1 red onion, thinly sliced (100g net)
½ a large cucumber, thinly sliced (180g)
20g chopped dill, plus extra to garnish
4 tsp sumac
4 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil

Tahini sauce

Tahini sauce:
2½ tbsp lemon juice
100g tahini
15g parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
1 small garlic clove, crushed

Zhoug

Zhoug:
35g coriander, roughly chopped
20g parsley, roughly chopped
3 green chillies, des-seeded and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
A pinch of caster sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil 

METHOD

1. First make the marinade. Combine the lemon juice, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Dry-fry the spices on medium heat until their aroma is released and then add these to the bowl, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¾ teaspoon of black pepper. Pat dry the chicken pieces and place them in the marinade along with 5 tablespoons of the olive oil and the fresh coriander. Massage the mixture into the chicken well, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinade for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
2.  Place all the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well and set aside.
3.  Put all the ingredients for the tahini sauce in a food processor adding a 90ml of water and a pinch of salt and blitz until completely smooth with the consistency of honey. Add a little more water if it is too thick to pour.
4.  Place all the ingredients for the zhoug in a small food processor bowl and add 2 tablespoons of water and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. Blitz in a few pulses to get a coarse paste; make sure not to over mix.
5.  Preheat the oven to 180C.
6.  Place a large ridged griddle pan on high heat. Once red hot, cook the chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side until nice and brown. Transfer to an oven tray to cook the meat through in the oven; about 6 minutes. Allow to rest for a few minutes before cutting the chicken into 1 centimetre thick slices. Any remaining juices from the pan can be drizzled over the meat.
7.  Wipe off most of the residues from the griddle pan and add the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle the flatbreads with a little water, just to moisten on the outside, and place in the pan for about a minute on each side, to warm up. Lay out each pita sheet and spoon over some tahini sauce. Place some chicken pieces on top of this, followed by the salsa and 1 tablespoon per serving of the zhoug. Finish with a sprinkle of parsley and dill, roll the pita together and serve at once.