Green Pancakes with Lime Butter

These savory pancakes from Yotam Ottolenghi are made with spinach, green onions and chile. They are accompanied by a lime flavored butter but Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche would also taste great. They are perfect to serve as a light lunch with a green salad or at an elegant brunch.

INGREDIENTS

Lime butter
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chile flakes

1/2 lb (about 8 cups) spinach, washed
3/4 cup self-rising flour 
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
2/3 cup milk
6 medium green onions, finely sliced
2 fresh green chiles, thinly sliced
1 egg white
Olive oil for frying

PREPARATION
To make the lime butter. Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until it turns soft and creamy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Tip onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a sausage shape. Twist the ends of the wrap to seal the flavored butter. Chill until firm.

Wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water. Drain in a sieve and, when cool, squeeze hard with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Roughly chop and put aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, whole egg, melted butter, salt, cumin and milk in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the green onions, chiles and spinach and mix with a fork. Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and gently fold it into the batter.

Pour a small amount of olive oil into a heavy frying pan and place on medium-high heat. For each pancake, ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and press down gently. You should get smallish pancakes, about 3 inches in diameter and 3/8 inch thick. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until you get a good golden-green color. Transfer to paper towels and keep warm. Continue making pancakes, adding oil to the pan as needed, until the batter is used up.

To serve, pile up three warm pancakes per person and place a slice of flavored butter on top to melt.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a traditional Middle Eastern Dish and usually served for breakfast in a cast iron pan with bread.  Sweet, caramelized onions, peppers and tomatoes flavored with a pinch of cayenne, thyme and roasted cumin are the ingredients of this unbelievable tasty and aromatic dish. I think it is not only perfect for breakfast but also for a brunch, lunch or a light dinner.

SHAKSHUKA
( Yotam Ottolenghi)
serves 4

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 190 ml  light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 red and 2 yellow peppers, cored and cut into 2cm strips
• 4 teaspoons muscovado sugar
• 2 bayleaves
• 6 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon saffron strands
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Up to 250ml water
• 8 free-range eggs

1.In a large saucepan, dry-roast the cumin on high heat for two minutes. Add the oil and sauté the onions for two minutes.

2.Add the peppers, sugar, bayleaves, thyme, parsley and two tablespoons of coriander, and cook on high heat to get a nice colour. Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, adding enough water to keep it the consistency of a pasta sauce.

3.Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be potent and flavoursome. You can prepare this mix in advance.

4.Place four saucepans on medium heat and divide the mixture between them. Break two eggs into each pan, pouring into gaps in the mixture.

5.Sprinkle with salt, cover and cook very gently for 10-12 minutes, until the egg just sets. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with chunky white bread.

Chard and Saffron Omelette

These tender omelettes are filled with a mixture of lemon and saffron flavored Swiss Chard and Potatoe cubes. The omelette itself is very thin and made with lots of herbs. They can easily be made ahead of time, assembled, and reheated in a low temperature oven for a couple of minutes. This is the first recipe that I made out of my new book "Plenty" from Yotam Ottolenghi. The book is filled with easy, mouthwatering vegetarian recipes and beautiful pictures. Many of his recipes are available on the guardian website.

Chard and Saffron Omelette
adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
(serves 4)

Swiss chard is a great substitute for spinach, and keeps its shape well. Serves four.

50g (net weight) (1 medium) waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice

200ml (1 cup) water

Pinch of saffron

350g (3/4 lb) Swiss chard, washed and shredded

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

5 eggs

60ml (1/4 cup) milk

20g  mixed fresh herbs, chopped

Vegetable oil

100g/ 3 oz crème fraîche or sour cream

Put the potatoes, water and saffron in a big pan and slowly bring to a simmer. After four minutes, add the chard, season, cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the potato is soft and the water evaporated. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and garlic. Leave to cool.

For the omelettes, whisk the eggs, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper. Pour a teaspoon of oil into a large, hot non-stick pan, pour in a quarter of the egg mix and make a thin, round omelette. Transfer to a kitchen towel to cool, and repeat three times.

Spread half of each omelette with crème fraîche. Taste the chard mix, adjust the seasoning accordingly and spread generously over the crème fraîche. Fold the omelette over the covered half, then fold along the centre to get a fan-shaped case. Make sure the filling shows at the open side. Arrange on a lightly oiled ovenproof dish. To serve, preheat the oven to 170C/350F/gas mark 3, and bake for five to eight minutes, or until hot. Serve at once.

10-minute Couscous Salad

Couscous is a super fast grain to prepare and cook. This refined grain has a very neutral flavor making it ideal for salads.

A sweet and savory combination of couscous, dried cranberries, sugar snap peas and pine nuts makes this salad irresistible.  In addition, the combination of green, red and gold colors is really pretty. This dish is great to bring to a party, for a picnic or for lunch.

Couscous Salad

(serves 6)

100 g/ 3 oz pine nuts, toasted

250 g/ 8.8 oz sugar snap peas or frozen peas

200 g/ 7 oz instant couscous

100 g/ 3 oz dried cranberries

350 ml/ 1,5 cups water

40 g/ 1.4 oz parsley, minced

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt, Pepper

Wash and cut the sugar snap peas, put in a bowl. Add the couscous and the cranberries and mix. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the salad. Let stand 5 minutes. Add pine nuts, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Israelian Couscous Salad

I love this little salad, it combines sweet and savory and makes a perfect little snack or light lunch. 

Israelian Couscous Salad

3 tbsp olive oil, divided ½ cup pine nuts ½ cup shallots, finely chopped ½ large cinnamon stick 1 bay leaf 1 ¾ cups chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup Parsley, minced Juice and zest of ½ lemon  ¼ cup raisins black pepper 1.Method 2.Heat 1 tbsp Olive Oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and stir until goldn brown. Transfer to a small bowl. 3.Melt remaining 2 tbsp Olive Oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until golden. 4. Add couscous, cinnamon and bay leaf, and stir often until couscous browns slightly. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to      low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender (approx. 15minutes). 5.Remove from heat and stir in parsley, pine nuts and lemon zest. Add the raisins for a savory sweet taste. Season with black pepper to taste Time: approx. 30 min.

Mustard Tart

This tart makes a wonderful light lunch. The crust is crunchy, the interior surprises with a tasty creamy mustard filling. If you like mustard this recipe is for you. It is delicious hot, warm or lightly chilled, but make sure to use a good, strong mustard.

Gerard's Mustard Tart

(Dorie Greenspan: Around my French Table)

The dough needs to be chilled 3 hours, partially baked and then cooled. I made mine the day before I needed the tart.

• 3 carrots trimmed and peeled
• 3 thin leeks white and light green parts only, cut lengthwise in half and washed
• 2 Rosemary Sprigs
• 3 large eggs
• 6 Tablespoons Creme Fraiche or Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Grainy Mustard
• Salt and Pepper; White Pepper
• 1 Recipe Tart Dough, partially baked and cooled (recipe see below - or your own) 

Center the rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 420 Degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Cut the carrots and leeks into slender batons or sticks: First cut the carrots lengthwise in half, then place the halves cut side down on the cutting board and cut crosswise in half or cut into chunks about 3 inches long. Cut the pieces into matchsticks don't look svelte enough, cut them lengthwise in half. Cut the leeks in the same way.
Fit a steamer basket into a saucepan. Pour in enough water to come almost up to the steamer, cover, and bring to a boil. Drop the carrots, leeks, and 1 rosemary sprig into the basket, cover, and steam until the vegetables are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the vegetables and pat them dry; discard the rosemary sprig.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together with the creme fraiche or heavy cream. Add the mustards, season with salt an white pepper - mustard has tendency to be salty, so proceed accordingly - and whisk to blend. Taste and see if you want to add a little more of one or the other mustard.

Put the tart pan on the lined baking sheet and pour the filling into the crust. Arrange the vegetables over the filling - they can go in any which way. But they're attractive arranged in spokes coming out from the center of the tart. Top with the remaining rosemary sprig and give the vegetables a sprinkling of salt and a couple of turns of the pepper mill.

Bake the tart for about 30 minutes, or until it is uniformly puffed and lightly browned here and there and a knife inserted onto the center of the custard comes out clean.

Tart Dough

This dough is an all-purpose recipe that produces a not-too rich, slightly crisp crust that is as happy holding pastry cream for a strawberry tart as it is encasing a creamy cheese filling for a quiche. This is a good dough to use anytime you see a recipe calling for a pate brisee Be prepared: This dough should chill at least 3 hours. 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, (170 g) 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into bits, (3/4 stick) (86 g) 1 large egg 1 teaspoon ice water To make the dough in a food processor: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the processor and whir a few times, until the butter is coarsely mixed into the flour. Beat the egg with the ice water and pour it into the bowl in 3 small additions, whirring after each one (Don't overdo it - the dough shouldn't form a ball or ride on the blade) You'll have a moist, malleable dough that will hold together when pinched. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it lightly), and flatten it into a disk. To make the dough by hand: Put the flour, sugar,, and salt in a large bowl. Drop in the bits of butter and, using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed. You'll have large and small butter bits, and that's fine - uniformity isn't a virtue here. Beat the egg and water together, drizzle over the dough, and, using your fingertips, mix and knead the dough until it comes together. Turn it out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it some more), and flatten it into a disk. Chill at least 3 hours or up to 5 days. When you're ready to bake the tart shell, butter a 9 - 91/2inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (butter it even if it's nonstick). To roll out the dough: I like to roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a lightly floured rolling cover, but you can roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. If you're working between sheets of paper or plastic wrap, lift the paper or plastic often so that it doesn't roll into the dough, and turn the dough over frequently. If you're just rolling on the counter, make sure to lift and turn the dough and reflour the counter often. The rolled-out dough should be about 1/4 inch thick and at least 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to the tart pan, easing it into the pan without stretching it (What you stretch now will shrink int the oven later.) If you'd like to reinforce the sides of the crust, you can fold some of the excess dough over, so that you have a double thickness around the sides. Using the back of a table knife, trim the dough even with the top of the pan. Prick the base of the crust in several places with a fork. Chill - freeze - the dough for at least 1 hour before baking. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Press a piece of buttered foil (or use nonstick foil) against the crust's surface. If you'd like, you can fill the covered crust with rice or dried beans (which will be inedible after this but can be used for baking for months to come) to keep the dough flat, but this isn't really necessary if the crust is well chilled. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the tart pan on the sheet. To partially bake the crust: Bake for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove the foil (with the rice or beans). Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3 - 5 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it. To fully bake the crust: Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it is an even golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it TIP:STORING: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Although the fully baked crust can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 month, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer - it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes or so to the baking time.