Baking and pastry are generally related to field, staying power, precision and a strict adherence to primary science.
That is truely actual of a few elements of baking (I’d truly keep on with the commands for an awesome Victoria sponge, say), however there are a few savoury bakes that, for me, are all about playing around and no longer being terribly zealous about what is going in and when.
So right here, for all you unfastened spirits (and baking phobes) available, is a cornbread, a pie and a flan that showcase 3 approaches of baking with out an specifically complex method, or maybe strict rules.
Honey and yoghurt cornbread (pictured above)
I’ve continually saved my cornbread extra on the savoury aspect, with such additions as feta and chilli. This extra classic take echoes the natural sweetness of corn inside the first-rate possible way, in a sweet/salty mixture that’s best for breakfast or brunch. Avocado, in any shape or form, will paintings properly alongside.
Prep five min
Cook 50 min
Cool 45 min
Serves eight-10
210g unsalted butter, cut in half
210g quick-prepare dinner polenta
210g simple flour
1¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
⅓ tsp bicarbonate of soda
450g sparkling corn kernels (from approximately 3 cobs), or the equal in frozen kernels, defrosted
3 tbsp runny honey, plus greater to serve
200g Greek-style yoghurt
80ml whole milk
3 eggs, overwhelmed
20g chives, finely chopped
Black pepper
Heat the oven to 220C (210C fan)/450F/gas 7. Put the butter in a 28cm-diameter solid iron saute pan, then put it in the oven for 12-15 mins, or till melted and browned. Pour all however a tablespoon and a half of of the butter right into a bowl and set the pan aside.
Meanwhile, in a huge bowl, whisk together the polenta, flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb.
Put the corn in a meals processor and pulse some instances, until more or less chopped, then tip right into a massive bowl and upload the honey, yoghurt, milk, eggs, chives and a generous quantity of pepper, whisking to mix.
Tip the corn combination and the bowl of browned butter into the dry substances, and stir through till just blended but not overmixed.
Transfer the mixture to the buttered solid iron pan you used in advance, smoothing out the top with the back of a spoon, and bake for 25 mins, or until the bread is golden and brown around the edges, and a skewer comes out smooth from the centre. Leave to cool in the pan for at the least forty five minutes before serving, with greater honey drizzled on top, if you want.
Poha and coconut flan
Poha (or powa) is cooked, flattened and dried 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 maintain their form.
Poha is extensively utilized in Indian cookery and is generally served at breakfast. Here, I’ve taken the traditional base and turned it right into a savoury flan that could work as a breakfast or mild lunch with some smashed avocado or yoghurt alongside.
Prep 40 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves four
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 clean ginger, peeled and finely grated
1½ purple chillies, 1 deseeded and finely chopped, the rest thinly sliced, seeds and all
1½ tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds, more or less overwhelmed in a mortar
¾ tsp floor turmeric
2 stems curry leaves (ie, about 25 leaves)
1 big (250g) potato, boiled, then peeled and cut into 1½cm cubes
Salt and black pepper
1 lime – zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
four tbsp coriander leaves, more or less chopped
three large eggs
300g 70%-fat coconut milk
25g clean coconut, finely grated
25g salted and roasted peanuts, more or less chopped
Put the poha in a bowl, cover with lots of cold water and soak for three minutes. Drain and set apart.
Put 4 tablespoons of oil in a big, ovenproof saute pan for that you have a lid, and positioned it on a medium-excessive warmness. Once hot, fry the onion, stirring once in a while, for 10 minutes, or till softened and browned. Add the garlic, ginger, chopped chilli, spices and curry leaves, and prepare dinner for 2 minutes greater, stirring often, until aromatic.
Add the cooked potato, a teaspoon of salt, lots of pepper and two tablespoons of water, and prepare dinner for two minutes, stirring frequently. Turn down the heat to medium-low, then upload the poha and stir to combine. Cover and depart to steam, undisturbed, for three mins, till the poha is cooked thru. Stir thru the lime juice and -thirds of the coriander, then tip out into a bowl and go away to cool barely for approximately 15 mins.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6. Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk and half of a teaspoon of salt, then stir them into the cooled poha aggregate.
Wipe out the saute pan, upload a tablespoon and a half of of oil and swirl the pan around to coat its base and aspects. Add the poha combination, spreading it out to distribute it flippantly, then bake for 15 mins, or until simply set. Remove and leave to chill slightly – about 10 minutes.
While the poha is cooling, make the topping. In a small bowl, mix the clean coconut, peanuts, sliced purple chilli, final coriander and lime zest. To serve, pinnacle the poha flan with the coconut aggregate, then drizzle over the closing teaspoon and a half of oil and serve at once from the pan.
Swiss chard and ricotta pie
Apart from the ricotta, this easy pie also has dolcelatte (that is moderate enough now not to offend even in case you’re no longer the most important blue cheese fan) and parmesan inside the filling, which make it wealthy and complicated sufficient to serve at the centre of a mild supper with a easy lettuce salad with the aid of way of accompaniment.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 25 min
Serves 4
25g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
500g swiss chard, stems and leaves separated, stems reduce into 1cm slices, leaves shredded
three garlic cloves, peeled and beaten
Salt and black pepper
1 egg, beaten, plus 1 egg yolk
50g parmesan, finely grated
150g dolcelatte, roughly crumbled
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 rectangular 34cm x 24cm sheet puff pastry
100g ricotta
2 tsp nigella seeds
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Put the butter and oil in a huge saute pan on a medium-excessive warmness. Once warm, upload the onion and fry, stirring from time to time, till softened and well browned – approximately 10 mins.
Add the chard stems, prepare dinner for 4 minutes extra, or until softened, then stir within the chard leaves, garlic, three quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook for a further 4 minutes, till the leaves have wilted and launched a number of their liquid.
Turn off the heat, leave to chill for 20 mins, then stir inside the complete egg, parmesan, dolcelatte and spring onions.
Line the bottom and facets of a 32cm x 22cm rectangular baking tin with a sheet of greaseproof paper. Drape the puff pastry on pinnacle, ensuring it covers the lowest of the tin and extends about 2½cm up the perimeters (trim the edges, if need be), then gently push the pastry down to healthy the tin. Top with the chard aggregate, spreading it calmly to cowl the bottom, then dot randomly with tablespoonfuls of ricotta.
Fold over the rims of the pastry, so that you have an outer rim approximately 2½-3cm thick, and press the corners collectively to seal. Brush the rim with the crushed egg yolk, then sprinkle the nigella seeds on pinnacle. Bake for forty mins, or till golden and the pastry is cooked through, then go away to chill for about 15 minutes before serving.
• This article changed into amended on 24 June 2019. An earlier model contained an inappropriate reference to the situation OCD, which has been removed.
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