Sunday, 3 March 2024

Farinata

Latest recipe:
Mix chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt; rest the batter; bake in a very hot oven until thin, crisp-edged, and golden.
Ingredients (serves 2–3)
100 g chickpea flour
300 ml water
2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for the tray)
½ tsp salt
Black pepper (optional)
Optional: rosemary or thinly sliced onion
Method
Whisk flour, water, salt, and olive oil until smooth.
Rest at room temperature for 1–2 hours (removes raw taste; improves texture). Skim any foam.
Heat oven to 230–250°C. Place a well-oiled metal baking tray (or cast iron pan) in the oven to get very hot.
Stir batter, then pour into the hot tray to about 3–5 mm depth. Add pepper or toppings if using.
Bake 15–20 minutes until set and golden with crisp edges. For extra colour, finish under the grill for 2–3 minutes.
Rest a few minutes, slice, and serve warm.


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Followed this recipe and it's the best I've tried:
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/farinata-recipe/#how-to-make-farinata

Took our big oven tray, heated with olive oil, they poured all batter in. Cooked for 15 minutes. Nearly didn't stick, just 1 square CM did. Don't really understand the thing about pulling the oil over the batter, but kind of dragged a wooden spoon across the surface from the olive oil pooled at the edges. Don't think it made a difference.

Had oven at 250C but oil hit smoke point while preheating. Next time try 200C.

Friday, 2 February 2024

Roast halibut



Bought 2.5kg halibut loin from Billingsgate for £55. About 1cm thick at one end and 2.5cm at other end. Alex and Femke helped cook for NYE.

- Pan cooked some strip of roast pepper

- Sliced red potatoes and parboiled

- Roasted halves of small onions

- Made a big parcel from foil. Put in potatoes, scattering of onions and peppers. Also capers and lemon slices. Put halibut on top and closed parcel.

- Roasted for 45 mins (at 180c?). After 30 mins the thinner part was cooked but the thicker part definitely needed more time.

- served with sauce of oil, capers, parsley + extra peppers

Went well, would do same again exactly.

Bought from stall at back of Billingsgate near cafe, around 5:30am. They weren't very friendly. Next time could try the one MSC certified place, which was closed when I was there.


Recipes used for reference:

https://food52.com/recipes/289-halibut-and-vegetables-en-papillote

https://www.thespruceeats.com/simple-lemon-caper-sauce-3060546