3 Store Cupboard Recipes - Basic Flatbreads, Turkish Eggs and Chorizo and Bean Stew
Making use of the Capsule Pantry
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Three recipes that can be made from ingredients in The Capsule Pantry - no extras required.
Basic Flatbreads
Makes 2 flatbreads:
150g / 1 cup strong white flour
90ml / 13 fluid oz tepid water (you’re looking for 60% hydration which means the water should be 60% of the weight of flour).
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
Put the water, olive oil, yeast, and sugar in a mug and mix. Leave the yeast to activate for 2-3 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, stick in the flour and salt.
Once the yeast mixture is frothing, add to the mixing bowl. Get your hands in and bring everything together to form a dough. Dump onto the counter.
Knead the dough for as long as you can be bothered (5+ minutes is best but it can be less if you get bored easily - like me). If you’re making more flatbreads you can use an electric knead hook, but I wouldn’t recommend for anything less than 6-8 flatbreads.
Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for at least an hour. More is fine but don’t exceed two.
Halve the dough, shape into a ball, and roll out using plenty of flour on the countertop. You want to get it to about 2mm in thickness (err on the side of thin than thick).
Heat a frying pan or griddle on medium-high heat. Take a flatbread, lay it on the pan. Wait until bubbles start to form on top, then flip.
If the bread puffs up too much, you can poke a little hole in the top to deflate the bread to ensure it cooks evenly on the pan. Cook on the underside for 2 minutes or so. Flip again.
Keep flipping and checking until the bread every minute (approx) until it’s nicely golden with a few griddle marks.
Wrap in a clean tea towel whilst you make the next bread. Keeping them in there will steam the breads, cooking them further and keeping them soft and pliable.
Serve immediately or leave to cool and use over the next few days (reheat in the oven, wrapped in aluminum foil for 5 minutes) or freeze a batch.
I serve these with everything from salads to Middle Eastern dishes to the following…
Turkish eggs
Stolen/adapted from the incredible Época bakery in Porto, Portugal.
For two people
1/2 pot (approx) plain yogurt
Pinch salt and pepper
1/2 tsp (approx) dried mint
1 tsp (approx) dried dill
3 tbsp cooking olive oil
1 tsp dried ground cumin
2 tsp hot chili flakes
2 eggs
Make a chili oil by combining the olive oil, chili flakes, cumin, and a pinch of salt in a mug. Set aside.
Take two pasta bowls or small plates. Smear the bottom with plain yogurt - as much as you like.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and then the dried herbs (you can also use fresh herbs here, I like dill and coriander which is what Época uses - mint is also excellent).
Cook two eggs however you like. Poached is my go-to but I’ve also made fried and soft-boiled.
Stick the hot eggs on top of the cold yogurt and drizzle the whole lot with the chili oil.
Serve the aforementioned flatbreads or crusty sourdough bread.
Chorizo and bean stew
This is a very simple recipe I picked up during my 6 months living in Rioja, northern Spain. Versions of this are made a LOT in the region, somewhere where chorizo and beans reign supreme
For four people
Approximately one-third to one half of a chorizo ring, diced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
One medium white onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
One jar / tin passata or chopped tomatoes
1tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
One can white beans
Put the chorizo in a cold saucepan and turn on a medium heat. Chorizo is fatty and you can largely fry it in the oil that renders out as the meat cooks. Add a little more oil if things start to look too dry.
Once the chorizo is sizzling away, add your diced onion and continue to fry for another 5-7 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the smashed-up garlic and continue to fry for another minute or two.
Add the passata or chopped tomatoes, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Top up with water and simmer for as long as you have (30 minutes or so is best but I’ve made this in just 10 minutes before).
Add the white beans towards the end of cooking. Heat them through and add more water if required until you have a thick, rich stew on your hands.
Serve with those flatbreads or some roasted potatoes.