5 hours ago
1
This week’s recipe involves making a dough of flour (any flour), water, olive oil, thick plain yoghurt and salt, and it requires no rising agent and no resting. Thanks to the olive oil and yoghurt, it is a dough that comes together easily and behaves in a way that reminds me of warm putty, coming away from the sides of the bowl, hardly sticking to the hands and almost bringing itself into a neat ball. Unlike so many things at the moment, it is a helpful, thoughtful and stretchy dough that can be rolled or pulled into sort-of circles that can accommodate just about any filling, although mine is inspired by the cheese and greens mixture that filled the Azerbaijani qu’tab my colleagues Alice and Deruba made me a few weeks ago.
The best way to eat these flatbreads is, I think, two minutes and 23 seconds after they come out of the hot pan, so they have cooled just enough to handle and so that the puff of hot air that accompanies the first bite is funny rather than scalding; but they need to be still warm enough that the pastry is fried and the filling tender with melted cheese. While they want for nothing, these friendly, crowdpleasing flatbreads are great with a spoonful of mango chutney, preserved lemon or green bean pickle, or with seasoned yoghurt and a salad (of grated carrot and shredded green cabbage, maybe). Wrapped in a tea towel after cooking, which also keeps them supple, the flatbreads will retain their heat for a surprisingly long time, but if you want to keep them for longer than an hour or so, or to take them on a long journey or out for a picnic, let them cool completely before wrapping them, ideally in pairs, so they keep their shape when all else is losing theirs.
Flatbreads stuffed with spinach and cheese
Makes 8
For the dough
350g plain flour
45g olive oil
1 heaped tbsp thick yoghurt (20g)
10g salt
For the filling
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
Olive oil
400g baby spinach
200g ricotta
50g parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
A pinch of fresh marjoram leaves, chopped, to taste
Grated lemon zest, to taste
Make the pastry by mixing the flour, oil, yoghurt, salt and 125g water in a bowl, knead into a soft, pliable dough, then shape into a ball. Cover with an upturned bowl while you make the filling.
Working in a frying pan, soften the onion in a couple of tablespoons of oil, then add the spinach, which will at first be unruly until it wilts down, so keep stirring. Tilt the pan and pour off any liquid. In a bowl, mix the softened onion and spinach with the cheeses, then stir in salt, pepper, marjoram and lemon zest to taste.
Divide the dough into eight pieces and, working with them one at a time (keep the rest under the bowl to prevent them drying out), roll into a 20cm circle. Put a spoonful of the filling on one half of the dough circle, then spread out to cover that half, leaving a 1cm border at the edge. Run a wet finger along this edge, then fold the empty half of the dough up and over the filling to make a half moon. Press all around the edges to seal.
Working in a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan rubbed with olive oil, cook the flatbreads over a medium heat for about five minutes in total, turning every minute and occasionally pressing down with a spatula so the sides of the breads make good contact with the hot metal. Lift out once they are lightly golden and leopard-spotted on both sides.
