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Brioche Pizettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

March 13, 2014 by TheWhiteRamekins

Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

No matter how many breads I’ve baked so far, I’m still scared of the yeast monster. The dough sitting on the kitchen counter for hours with no signs of rising makes me all the more nervous and I feel pity on myself for not being able to bake a bread. And given the weather these days, which is so fickle, that one moment it is windy,  the other moment it is rainy and the very next moment it is bright and sunny, it becomes all the more daunting. But the baker spirits can’t be tamed that easily and that is the good thing at least. For every appalling thought there lies an equally strong and encouraging feeling.

Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

Too much of the melodrama I have created here, you must be thinking! But that is true. I might not be able to put together my thoughts so brilliantly, but I hope that you would have got what I am trying to express. And especially, if you’ve baked a bread you would definitely be able to relate to all the gibberish I’m talking. Okay, so when I first saw this beauties, which Ottolenghi calls in his book as brioche pizzas, I was simply smitten by the cuteness factor they bring along with their small size.

Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

To me they aren’t pizzas, and so as to the author. But would there be any better name for them? I called them Pizzettes to make them sound slightly more glamorous! Some more melodrama…huh? Whatever you like them to name, they still remain an ultimate comfort snack. The buttery, slightly sweet brioche dough makes an interestingly flavorful pairing with the salty feta and sweet and sour tomatoes. A perfect snack to put together on your Sunday brunch table!

Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

Ingredients

Brioche Dough

2 tbsp lukewarm water
1 tsp active dry yeast
190 gm all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
5 tsp superfine sugar
2 eggs, at room temprature
75 gm cold unsalted butter

Pizzettes

1 recipe brioche dough

Oven dried tomatoes
300 gm tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly gound black pepper
1/2 tsp dried mint

Caramelized onion
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed

1 egg, lightly beaten
75 gm feta cheese, crumbled
40 gm black olives
olive oil, for drizzling
parsley leaves
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. For the brioche dough, place the lukewarm water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Leave for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Add all the rest ingredients for brioche dough except butter and start working them together with a spatula until the flour is incorporated.
  2. Attach the dough hook of the mixer and work on a low speed for about 3 minutes. The dough will become smooth but will stick to the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium-high and start adding the butter. Do this gradually, ensuring the butter gets incorporated well before adding more. Once all the butter is in, keep the machine working until the dough is shiny, has no lumps of butter and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Once or twice during the mixing process, you would need to stop the machine, to avoid getting the dough become hot. This would take around 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the dough from the machine and place in a lightly greased bowl that is twice as high as the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for one hour, until it gets almost doubled in size. Place in fridge covered with plastic wrap for 14 to 24 hours before using. During this time, dough will not rise significantly.
  4. When ready to bake, take the dough out of fridge and place it on lightly floured work surface. Roll into a sheet of about 1 cm thickness. Using a pastry cutter, cut into 6 circles, 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and leave to rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubles in height.
  5. While the brioche is rising, prepare the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into quarters lengthwise and each quarter into 2 long wedges. Place the wedges on a baking sheet with skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle salt, pepper and mint on top. Put the sheet in 150 degree C preheated oven for up to an hour, until the tomatoes have fairly dried up but still have some moisture. Leave to cool.
  6. To make the caramelized onions, put all the ingredients into a large pan and cook for around 7 minutes on high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
  7. Preheat the oven to 170 degree C. To assemble the pizzettes, brush the dough disks lightly with beaten egg. Place generous amount to caramelized onion in the center, followed by tomatoes, feta and olives. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked at the bottom.
  8. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Lightly brush with more olive oil and garnish with parsley leaves.

Brioche Pizzettes With Feta Olive & Tomatoes

Filed Under: Bread, Savory Tagged With: baking, bread, brioche, feta cheese, food, homemade bread, mini pizza, Ottolenghi, spring recipes, yeast

Roasted Red Pepper & Egg Galette

February 14, 2014 by TheWhiteRamekins

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg Galette

Days have become relatively warmer, though nights are still chilly, marked with cool wind blow at some days. We are welcoming Spring here with all open arms. It’s a relief from dreary cold winter days and feels refreshing and back to life. Red colorful and juicy strawberries are back in season. And we’ve started eating them a lot.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg Galette

The color red doesn’t stop there, rather it excites us in another form. Lovely, vibrant, juicy and wonderfully colorful  red pepper have flooded the vegetable carts and shelves in market. I am completely smitten off, both with their vibrant red color and the amazing sweet flavor.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg Galette

And they roast so well. I personally like them roasted, and so Muhummara (roasted red bell pepper and walnut dip) has become my favorite party dip alongside bowls of olive oil covered hummus. Roasting the red pepper had been playing on my mind, but I wanted to try out something new this time besides bunging them into chips and dips platter.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg Galette

So while I was flipping through the amazingly colorful and refreshing recipes from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem, I straight away fell into love with these beautiful little treats. Ottolenghi is a genius when it comes to tossing fresh ingredients to make highly colorful treats, appetizing both to eyes and to the taste buds. The contrast of the red peppers and the egg yolk make these pastries stunningly beautiful. And they nonetheless taste brilliant. As a suggested alternative by Ottolenghi, I made two of the galettes with  crumbled feta, reolacing eggs. And both tasted brilliant. We had them in Sunday brunch, we simply loved them.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg GaletteRoasted Red Bell Pepper & Egg Galette

Ingredients

4 medium red peppers {halved, deseeded and cut into thin strips}
3 small red onions {halved and cut into small wedges}
4 thyme sprigs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
6 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp parsley leaves
1 1/2 tbsp coriander leaves
250 gm puff pastry
30 gm sour cream
4 eggs, plus 1 lightly beaten egg
salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 degree C. In a large bowl, mix peppers and onions with thyme leaves, ground spices, olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Spread out in a roasting tray and roast for 55 minutes, stirring couple of times during cooking.
  2. Remove from oven and stir in the fresh herbs. Adjust the seasoning and set aside. Turn the oven to 200 degree C.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about 5 mm and cut out  four 15 x 15 cm squares. Prick all over the squares and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave to rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Remove the pastry from fridge and brush the top and sides with beaten egg. Using the back of a spoon spread half a tbsp sour cream over the pastry, leaving 0.5 cm border around the edges. Arrange the pepper and onion mixture on top of the sour cream, leaving the edges clean to rise and making a well in the center.
  5. Bake the galettes for 15 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully crack an egg into the well in the center of each pastry. Return to the oven and cook for another 7-8 minutes, until the eggs are set.
  6. Sprinkle with cracked pepper, remaining herbs and drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Pastry, Savory Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, egg tarts, food, Ottolenghi, roasted red peppers, Savory, spring

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

October 23, 2013 by TheWhiteRamekins

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Baked pita, minced lamb koftas, sizzling meat satays, kebabs, falafel, and a good dollop of hummus sprinkled generously with freshly chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley is what comes to my mind, when someone mentions to me of Mediterranean food. Those fresh produce and power packed flavors are good enough to take you through the tapestry of cultures which probably those cities have to offer. These days, a burnt eggplant and tahini dip more commonly known as Baba Ganouj and gorgeous gorgeous silky smooth hummus made of chickpeas and tahini served alongside baked pita chips and fresh cucumbers are must for us to accompany the drinks, whenever we throw a dinner party at home.  And they are always a hit with our friends.

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Somewhere in my deep desires, I have a long due wish to visit the countries of Mediterranean, more than any other place on this earth, for the diversity of food which they have to offer. It is the use of fresh and local produce, which people tend to eat seasonally and eat what grows locally in their area. And the list is endless.

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem is a book which talks about the medley of Jerusalem’s food, which has recipes inspired by the flavors of Jerusalem, some age old traditional dishes and some updated to suit the evolving taste buds of the today’s generations. The book weaves in the wonderful mixture of countless cultures and historical events that have influenced the city’s cuisine for centuries. The book has many vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes classified under Vegetables, Pulses, Grains, Meat, Soup Sweets, and all are so enticing. The anecdotal stories behind the recipes, depicting cultures associated with them tantalizes and educates at the same time. These chicken and zucchini burgers, adapted from the book are delicately spiced with cumin and perked up with a generous slather of tangy sharp lemon yogurt and sumac sauce. And the best part is they are a real health fast food, as it hardly takes 20 minutes to whip them up, including preparation. You could take them to a friend’s or pack them in lunchbox for work.

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers With Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

Ingredients

Chicken & Zucchini Burgers

500 gm minced chicken
200 gm grated zucchini
40 gm spring onions, thinly sliced
1 large egg
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
100 ml sunflower oil for searing

Yogurt & Sumac Sauce

200 gm Greek/hung yogurt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sumac
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

  1. First make the yogurt and sumac sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.
  2. Preheat the oven to 220 degree C. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for meatballs except sunflower oil. Once evenly mixed, shape into burgers, depending upon how big you want your patty to be.
  3. Pour enough sunflower oil in a large frying pan, so you get a thin layer of oil at the bottom. Heat well and sear the meatballs in batched over medium heat on all the sides. Cook them for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.
  4. Carefully transfer the seared meatballs into an oven tray lined with grease proof paper and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sauce spooned over.

Filed Under: Savory Tagged With: burgers, Chicken, fast food, food, grilled burger, healthy, Jerusalem, Mediterranean, Ottolenghi

Hi! I'm Himanshu - a home chef who loves to cook, bake, style and photo shoot... Read More…

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