Chickpea Pancakes

Ingrediente

100g gram flour

½ sachet fast action yeast (4g)

½ tsp caster sugar

Salt

1 small (or ½ large) egg, beaten

½ tsp baking powder

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 medium aubergines, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice

2 medium courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice

Salt

140ml vegetable oil

2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1cm slices

½ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cider vinegar

10g coriander leaves, roughly chopped

5g mint leaves, roughly chopped

80g Greek yoghurt, to serve

200g gram flour (aka chickpea flour)

60ml olive oil

Salt

For the salsa:

3 medium celery sticks, very finely sliced

15g parsley, roughly chopped

3 tbsp caper berries, stalks removed (or use normal capers if need be)

½ large preserved lemon, flesh discarded and skin finely chopped

2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Instrucțiuni

Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Add the egg and 100ml water, and whisk until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for an hour, until doubled in size. Add the baking powder, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes longer.

Put a heavy-bottomed skillet pan on a medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, put three or four heaped dessertspoons of the batter into the pan, and cook for four minutes in total, turning once halfway through, until the pancakes have risen to about 1.5cm in height and are light, fluffy and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside while you cook the remaining batter mixture, adding more oil with each batch. Serve at once, with the following spiced aubergine alongside.

Put the aubergine and courgette in a large colander with a teaspoon of salt, mix well to coat the veg and leave over a sink or bowl for an hour, to drain. Pat dry with a clean tea towel and set aside.

Pour the oil into a large saute pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and fry for five minutes, stirring often, until beginning to turn golden-brown, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.

Add the vegetables to the hot pan (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry them in batches), and stir in the turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seeds and half a teaspoon of salt. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the aubergine and courgette have taken on a lot of colour, then transfer to the onion bowl. Stir through the vinegar and herbs, and serve warm or at room temperature, with a spoonful of yoghurt alongside.

These moreish Italian flatbreads are quite large, so each can serve two. Cut them up to serve on separate plates, or pile up the two farinata on one plate for people to pull at and spoon the salsa on top as they go. Or serve pre-dinner with drinks and without the salsa. For four.

Put the gram flour in a large bowl and, whisking constantly, slowly add 450ml water until well combined. Set the batter aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, stir, add a pinch of salt if it needs it and set aside.

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Whisk two tablespoons of the olive oil into the batter, then stir in a teaspoon of salt. Put a heavy-based, oven-proof, 25cm skillet pan on a high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, pour in half the batter: it should be about 4mm thick. Leave on the heat for 30 seconds, until it starts to bubble, and then transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, until the farinata is cooked through. It should be browned and crisp on both sides, but soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and, using a spatula, transfer the farinata to a plate. Keep warm while you cook the second farinata with the remaining oil and batter. Serve at once, with the salsa spooned alongside or on top.