OwlCat Designs – Page 8 – Knitting patterns for today's handknitter

October 21, 2012December 16, 2017

Laksa Ayam

Years ago while backpacking half way around the world, I spent some time in Malaysia, and this one town on the east coast had a fantastic night market, where one could fill up on fantastic foods for a couple of bucks. Some of my favorites where the flaky roti canaii, the massive grilled king prawns (more like emperor prawns, if you advance on that size scale, as they were literally fist sized) with sambal and the endless variations of flavorful soups that would be available at all times of day (or night)

For a long time after coming back I would make a chicken and shrimp based soup called Laksa, then I forgot about it, but last week-end in NYC we ate a delicious little gem called Niu noodle house and our dinner reminded me of Laksa, and back came the memories of the fantastic taste, flavorful yet mild.

You can make this totally from scratch by buying a whole chicken, cutting it into pieces and boiling it to make stock, then remove the meat from the bones, shred and reserve and discard the bones. Or you can use chicken broth (homemade and stashed in your freezer) and a chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, all depending on the time you have or your willingness to work. In the spirit of full disclosure, my not completely authentic version features some adaptations, to make the recipe fit our western pantry a bit better. For one, I use macadamia or cashew nuts, the original calls for candle nuts, which are rather difficult to come by in this part of the world. I also like to add a pinch of turmeric to give the whole thing a bit of color.

…and of course you can put lots more broth over the noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces or left over rotisserie chicken meat
3 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
(1/2 pound shrimp, or 5-6 per person, peeled and cooked, optional)
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
7 oz or 200 grams dried rice noodles, size medium or smaller, or vermicelli
4 small shallots + 1 shallot for garnish*
3 garlic cloves
4 macadamia or cashew nuts
1 stem lemon grass, only thick end, bruised so it’s slightly crushed and split open
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 pinch turmeric
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

* as a shortcut, get ‘fried red onion’ in a jar from your Asian grocer

Directions

Using mortar and pestle, grind the coriander seeds to a powder, then add the nuts and process the same way. Press the garlic and the small shallots through a garlic press, then add to the mortar and pound everything to a paste.
Thinly slice the remaining shallot and set aside.
Bring water to a boil, then pour over the rice noodles in a heat proof bowl and let stand until softened but not mushy, (time varies, depending on the size of your noodles)
Heat a small amount of oil in a soup pan, and fry the seasoning paste from the mortar until it just starts to turn golden and a strong fragrance is released. Add the chicken breast and cook for another minute. Chicken will cook more in the following steps. ( If using cooked chicken, add after adding the broth)
Deglaze with the chicken broth and the coconut milk, stir to dissolve any lumps of the seasoning paste. Add the lemon grass and bring to a boil and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
In the meantime, heat a small frying pan, add the remaining oil and fry the sliced shallots until crispy, set aside.
Add a pinch of turmeric to the broth and season with salt to taste.
To serve, place the noodles into 4 bowls, top with shrimp and 3 pieces of hard boiled egg each, then ladle the hot soup over top and serve garnished with the fried shallot

October 18, 2012December 16, 2017

Ricotta and Spinach Malfatti

I have a secret fascination with gnocchi, or dumplings or whatever you want to call them. I think the part that really gets me is the fact that you make a sort of dough and then dump it in boiling water, AND if you do it right, it doesn’t fall apart but cooks and comes out of the water the same shape it went in. Seems crazy that should work at all, right?

In the center shown with slow cooker sauce and sweet potato

Well, since we are on the topic, here’s another one I tried recently. With the fall weather setting in, I am veering over towards more substantial foods, but this one is surprisingly light and delicate, for a dumpling. It’s mostly ricotta after all! Still fascinated that they hold together in the water, although it just occurred to me, duh, that pasta is essentially dough as well, cooked in water. I guess the fact that pasta is much drier and flat never allowed me to make the connection? 🙂 Now granted these are a bit more delicate than Spaghetti, and need special precautions, but as long as you keep the water just below a serious boil, you’re good to go. And they are worth every minute spent on making them. Don’t let the long list of steps scare you off, they are much easier to make than it is to describe how to make them, seriously!

Malfatti which translates literally as ‘ badly made’ are a regional specialty from Italy. I had first seen them on menus and tables back in Europe, then heard about them again when I started reading Robert’s blog, and his recent post on flour-less Malfatti reminded me to finally give them a try. Not flour-less, I’ll leave that for later, since that seems to require a bit more dumpling experience, I hear.

Another thing to keep in mind before running to your kitchen: all the recipes I saw recommended draining the ricotta in a cheesecloth lined colander, in the fridge overnight, some with a weight on it. However my ricotta did not cooperate and drained nothing, so here’s my solution: When ready to make the dough, blot with several changes of paper towels, squeeze and blot several times before placing in a large bowl.

So here’s what you need for the ‘screwed ups’ or Malfatti

Ingredients

2 cups ricotta, drained in cheesecloth in the fridge overnight
1/2 to 3/4 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
semolina (or corn meal) for dusting so they don’t stick
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or other hard italian cheese

Directions

Drain the ricotta overnight in the fridge in a cheesecloth lined colander over a bowl or blot with several changes of paper towels, squeeze and blot several times before placing in a large bowl.
Separate the egg yolk from the egg white, reserve egg white for another use, and add the yolk to the ricotta bowl.
Cut the spinach leaves into a chiffonade (roll up a few at a time and slice thinly) then add with the salt to the ricotta. Stir with a fork until mixed.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the ricotta mixture and using a spatula or your fingers, gently incorporate until just coming together.
Prepare a baking sheet with a non stick mat ans sprinkle with semolina.
Generously flour a work surface, turn out the dough onto the surface an knead 4 to 5 times. (Do NOT overmix or the dough will get tough = not good)
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then reduce heat until just at a simmer and no big bubbly movement can be seen in the water.
Using 2 teaspoons, cut a piece from the dough, shape and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Sprinkle all the Malfatti with semolina while they are ‘waiting’
Gently slide dumplings into simmering water, 5 to 6 at a time and cook until they float to the surface. Scoop out using a wire skimmer and place back on the baking sheet.
Preheat broiler on low and when they are all cooked, sprinkle with the Pecorino and quickly finish the Malfatti in the oven until the cheese melts, they should stay white.
Serve with any sauce that makes you happy.

October 15, 2012December 16, 2017

Banana ‘Fritters’

Or what to so with those ‘ugly’ bananas…

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Maybe I am just weird but I tend to believe that others out there do not like mushy bananas either. You know, the ones that sit in the fruit basket forgotten like the proverbial step child until, without warning suddenly they turn brown, in a matter of hours it seems. Alright, admittedly I am exaggerating, but I just really do not like them even when they start getting the little brown spots. At least not for eating as a banana. No, at that point I will resort to using them up in all manners of ways that I came up with over the years (I don’t like to waste and throw them out after all) from smoothies to sweetener in baked goods and muffins, to ice cream topping, I have tried most anything. How about you guys, do you have any favorite banana-use recipes?

This would be great as a snack or an indulgent breakfast: Pancake batter banana ‘fritters’. Since the bananas get soft and extra sweet as they cook, no need for syrup. Haven’t tried this, but some chocolate spread, like Nutella might be good…

Ingredients

You need a few ugly bananas (very ripe)*
leftover pancake batter (or for a simple recipe go here)
short Bamboo skewers (to fit in the pan)

* one banana makes about three skewers on average.

Directions

Slice bananas into rounds, about 1/2″ thick and thread 3 to 4 pieces onto short bamboo skewers (if you only have the long ones, cut them in half before or it won’t fit in the pan) You want to thread them on like you are making a flat snow man, if that makes sense (so they lie flat)
Heat a skillet over medium high, when it’s hot, add a bit of oil and swirl to coat
Put the pancake batter in a shallow dish and dip, first one side then the other, of the banana skewer until the slices are completely coated in batter.
Cook in the preheated pan until set and slightly browned, then turn over and cook on the second side. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 3 to 4 skewers at a time. Enjoy hot!

Because of the skewer they are easy to pick up and eat!
© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

October 9, 2012December 16, 2017

Leek and Sausage Ragù

Late summer and the last tomatoes are picked from the garden. They are currently occupying the best part of my counter in order to go from green to a more desirable color… In the meantime the leeks are getting to the size where it’s worthwhile cooking them and even though I did not use our own tomatoes for this one, I just had to have some of the gnocchi we made the other day. And you know what? Sometimes I find the pretty red tomatoes from the garden a little too special for sauce, especially now, that there aren’t any more coming, so I am okay with using a can once in a while 🙂

Ingredients

28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage (about 2 links)
3 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 leeks (white and light-green parts only), cut into rounds and rinsed well(about 1-1/2 cups)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
grated Parmigiano, lots (about 1 cup)

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and cook until translucent but not browned. Add the garlic, turn the heat up slightly and cook both until golden (not brown). Add the salt and spices, stir
Add the can of tomatoes and crush with a wooden spoon so the pieces break apart. Bring to a slow boil.
Squeeze the sausage from its casing, ‘dispensing’ meatball sized chunks into the boiling sauce, cook until sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Turn down to a simmer and let cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes for flavors to blend, season with black pepper to taste and serve over potato gnocchi with lots of Parmigiano cheese.

October 4, 2012December 16, 2017

Potato Gnocchi

With the cooler weather, the desire for more substantial foods comes back as well. Thicker sauces and thicker sweaters are a hand in hand occurence in this house. I crave different foods when the weather changes, and a good plate of airy and light yet filling gnocchi has never been passed off by this girl here. But when you research or ask around, it seem that short of moving to a monastery in the Italian Alps and apprenticing for a solid three years, or at least adopting an Italian ‘Nonna’ (and they are hard to come by), there is no chance that you might even come close to something edible. Light and delicate and not rubbery, dense or chewy is what I am dreaming off and honestly due to all the info and feedback, it took me a good year of just looking at my potato ricer (that was purchased with just this very task in mind) before I attempted my first batch. When I finally went for it, I could hardly believe how simple it seemed. Had I only realized that it would be so easy to make these from scratch I would have eaten them weekly. So sadly I have lived without gnocchi for quite some time, having been served lumps of what must have been an illegitimate love child of paste and rubber, I had been too scared to even try the frozen variety at the store. Anyone know if they are any good?

But taking an afternoon and making a batch of nice, homemade gnocchi, is going to give you the best result. You just have to be mindful of a couple of important points and you should have no trouble creating a lofty, delicate gnocchi!

My little gnocchi factory 🙂

Go ahead, give it a try! The important factors (from my research supplemented by my limited experience) are using a potato ricer, and just barely putting the dough together, if you knead it as many recipe’s are calling for, it will get dense due to the gluten developing inside the dough, and last but not least of course, the type of potato is important too: Russet, or another starchy variety is recommended.

makes enough for about 3 meals for 2 people

Ingredients

about 2 lb of Russet potatoes (I used 3 big ones, might have been more than 2 lb, but that’s what most recipe’s call for)
1 egg
1 to 1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt

Directions

If necessary, cut the potatoes into manageable pieces (so it fits in a pot) and cover with cold water, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and cook, covered, until cooked and tender when tested with a knife.
Drain and set aside until juts cold enough to handle, peel the potatoes, cut in half and pass them through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Set aside, uncovered to cool to almost room temperature, about 20 minutes. (They need to cool down to the point where they won’t cook the egg that will get mixed in)
Slightly scramble the egg, then add to the potatoes with the salt and stir with a fork until mixed in.
Add about 1 1/4 cup of flour and gently incorporate into a crumbly dough, using your hands. Make sure the flour is all moistened then press all of it together against the bottom of the bowl.
Generously flour a work surface and wash your hands. Turn dough out onto floured surface and quickly knead until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft and a little tacky but feels delicate and mostly smooth. About 30 seconds to 1 minute max. (do NOT overwork or the gnocchi will be tough)
Place dough back into bowl and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
Line two baking sheets with parchment and flour lightly, set aside.
Lightly re-flour work surface and using a piece of dough about the size of a small orange, roll into a 3/4″ diameter roll on the floured surface, below the palms of both your hands.
With a sharp knife, cut the rope about every 3/4″so you get a little dough piece roughly 3/4″ square. Traditionally Italian Gnocchi have little ridges that are made by pushing/rolling the gnocchi over the tines of a fork, but you could just as well leave them in the ‘pillow’ shape after cutting.
Place the gnocchi in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat until you used up all the dough.
If you are going to cook them within the next 2 to 3 hours, you can leave them out on the counter,otherwise place in the freezer(on the sheets) and when frozen store them in zip top bags for use anytime!
To cook, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and slide the fresh gnocchi off the parchment into the water, about 15 to 20 at a time, stir and cook for 1 minute after they float to the surface. If they are frozen, cook right from the freezer but cook less at a time as the water temperature comes down when you add frozen things and the gnocchi will end up falling apart before they cook or (not sure what’s worse) become soggy.

October 2, 2012December 16, 2017

Nelson’s Pepper and Mushroom Soup

After watching me make soup a couple of times, Nelson surprised me the other night by making a soup of his own, using what we have, just like I would, he whipped up the most delicious little soup one can imagine! And all from the things that needed to be used up: 2 sad looking zucchini squash, celery, 4 mushrooms leftover from making pizza on Friday, the rest of the pizza sauce, a can of pinto beans, some speck and a lovely misshapen red peppers that were on ‘quick sale’ at the store. Oh, but I wouldn’t do it justice by forgetting the not-all-that-hot looking little hot pepper we got from Dawn’s garden that spiced up the whole pot. It was super awesome! I might be odd, but I had to have some for breakfast today, yes, it was that yummy 🙂

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 big button mushrooms, cut into chunks
3-4 stalk of celery, chopped
1 can Pinto beans, rinsed (or frozen equivalent)
1 small green zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (or about 1 cup leftover pizza sauce)
1 red bell pepper or ‘sweet ancient’ (long and funky looking)
1 hot red pepper (cherry or the one we had which looked innocent like a mini bell pepper)
1/4 cup diced Speck (pronounced “Shpek”, German slab bacon, cut into cubes)*
water (which should not be underestimated when making soup)
1 tsp salt
1 no salt added vegan broth cube from Rapunzel

*For vegetarian option, leave the Speck out, but make sure you blacken the red bell pepper, to give the soup some smoky depth.The odd little bag, you ask? Yes, that’s my frozen beans, I soak and cook beans for several meals and freeze them in snack size bags = just about a can of beans

Directions

Heat oil in a soup or stock pot, add the diced onions, celery and sweet red pepper, cook until softened and just starting to brown slightly.
Add the mushrooms and speck and cook just another minute before adding about 4 cups of water, the vegetable bouillon cube and the pizza or tomato sauce. If the beans are frozen, add them at this point.
Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender and the soup gets cloudy looking and thickens a little, then add the finely diced hot pepper
In the meantime, cut the squash lengthwise into spears and chop into pieces, add to the soup and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Good with Rosemary Soca or corn chips!

September 29, 2012December 16, 2017

Breakfast cups

Breakfast cups or what to do with those leftover fajitas… You know how everything always seems to come in boxes and quantities for a church group? Or at least a family of 8. Well in my case, we currently are a family of 2, sometimes even a family of 1 and most of the packaged things are just too much. I guess we could just resign ourselves to eating the same thing for the next week, twice a day… Are we just that spoiled? Anyone like to eat the same all week? If you have an answer, please do share. As for myself since I don’t like to waste things, I am always looking for different uses for the ‘rest’of the package. Fajita “wraps” are great for just that, you can turn them into desert (brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon), or breakfast, they don’t mind one bit 😉

I promise that after this, I will try and not just post breakfast recipes. Actually, I got an awesome one coming up next. Nelson offered to make dinner the other night. And not by buying it at a restaurant (the usual path of this) OMG I can hardly believe it! And he made one of the best soups ever! In fact I had it for breakfast this morning, it was THAT good. But even better than the soup? Shhhht! Don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to break the spell, but Nelson started to want to cook!!!! So now maybe I can stop worrying that I might starve when I am sick sometime or when we have kids down the road, they’ll eat only frozen pizza when I am out. Can’t say it enough, I am so thrilled! So Ladies (and fellas) 😉 there IS hope. And there can be more than one good cook in one household 🙂

But enough gushing, on with the show, just stay tuned for the Pepper & Mushroom Soup, coming up …

Ingredients

per person

2 fajita size tortillas
2 eggs
2 slices of prosciutto or ham (leave out to keep vegetarian)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves
(optional: a couple of pieces of tomato)

Peppered ham is wonderful too!

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF
Using a muffin pan or fluted Madeleine cups on a cookie sheet, form the fajita into it. It is easiest by ‘pleating’ the sides as you go around.
Place the prosciutto into the created cup, followed by the spinach and the cheese. (If you are making the vegetarian option, the cheese goes on the bottom, below the spinach)

Carefully crack one egg into each cup (add a couple of pieces of tomato, if you like), and place in the middle of the pre heated oven
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until eggs are set. ( The ones below I turned the broiler on for a couple of minutes at the end, but wasn’t careful enough=blackened)

September 27, 2012December 16, 2017

Sweet & Spicy Pretzel Mix

I admit, I did not make the pretzels. I only made them into something. Something better, or so I like to think.
I started out with no salt added pretzels. Why? Because there is so much sodium in and ON regular pretzels that I’d rather just add some myself. At least then I know how much and I can use my RealSalt or Himalayan salt. This is a super easy snack mix that looks and tastes a lot more expensive than it is to make. Make a double quantity and serve it up for cocktail hour at your next dinner party.

Ingredients

2 cups salt free pretzels
1/2 cup pecans or almonds
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
salt shaker with salt of choice

Directions

Pre heat oven to 300ºF
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add the cayenne and chipotle, adjust the spice level down if necessary (start with just 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and omit the chipotle, if you are sensitive to heat) and mix well
Add the pretzels and toss until evenly coated, then add the nuts and mix until they are coated too.
Spread in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Let cool completely before serving.

September 25, 2012December 16, 2017

Better-for-you Gluten Free Brownies

brownie and sunshine 🙂

brownie, no sunshine. Oh yeah, the thing in the middle there? A overly cooked white chocolate chip…

I wanted to do something a bit special, celebratory for our 1 year anniversary and how better to celebrate than with something sweet and chocolatey? Yes, it is true, today my little blog turns one!

Therefore today’s recipe had to be a little special, so ‘common’ brownies were not going to cut it and since I don’t like things that are very sweet anyway, a standard recipe would not have been my thing. I have often felt that there are too many products and recipes out there that are, for example, gluten free, but now there are 18 eggs in them, or they are low fat but have twice as much sugar. So I challenged myself, why not combine some of the restrictions people face into one recipe without adding extra “bad stuff”? A lot of folks have issues digesting gluten + diabetics should be real careful eating sugar (and I don’t like lots of it, + it’s really not good for you) + most people watch the amount of fat they consume: I was setting out with quite a lofty goal. Can’t be done, you say? Well, I just think I might have nailed it! Best of all, if you just happen to be vegan, you can make this too 🙂

And since the weather looked a good deal like fall today I added another good for you ingredient: Pumpkin, to make it moist (also packs vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Manganese and is a good source of fiber) and chick pea flour to keep it gluten free. I did have a whole big bag of chickpea flour, from who knows what recipe originally that I just rediscovered last week in making Socca.

By the way, get Besan from the Indian grocer, much cheaper than other healthfood store brands. As a matter of fact, anything you can buy at an ethnic store will be cheaper. If it is considered a specialty or an exotic item the grocery store will a) buy less of it, making it more expensive, and b) they can get away with charging premium dollar for ‘delicacies’ and ‘gourmet food’.For example, if you have a Asian grocer nearby, get your shallots there, also rice and rice noodles, dried or fresh will be a lot cheaper, so is Tofu, if you have that on your meal plan. Indian grocers usually carry various beans, peas and lentils, spices and almonds are usually less as well. And of course they have Besan, which is the chick pea flour we just talked about. But since it is not sold as a ‘gluten free’ flour… fraction of the cost!

But I digress, back to today’s topic: The gluten free, virtually fat free, low sugar, vegan anniversary BROWNIES! Yes, I am a tad exited about them, can you tell? 😉

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup chick pea flour/besan
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup mixed chocolate chips (dairy free, or it’s no longer vegan) or 1/2 nuts 1/2 chips
3/4 cups water
1/4 cup raw sugar (turbinado)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF
Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish (lasagna dish) with coconut oil
In a large bowl mash the bananas and mix in the pumpkin puree, then stir in the cocoa powder.
Add the brown rice syrup and the water and stir until well mixed
Combine the three flours, the xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda
Add the flours and 2 tablespoons of the raw sugar to the cocoa mixture and stir until well blended, then add the chocolate chips or nuts.
Spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar
Bake in the middle of the pre heated oven for 45-50 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely before cutting, or you’ll have fudge brownies

September 24, 2012December 16, 2017

Rosemary Black Pepper Socca

Socca, a delicious street food from the south of France, more exactly Nice (in Switzerland, Nizza as the city is known in italian) is something I just recently discovered. I know, right? not while travelling in France, mind you, but living on the good old East Coast of the US. Which just goes to show that good food knows no boundaries.

“La socca de Nice, ou socca caouda, est un des plats les plus populaires de Nice semblable à une grande crêpe mais à base de farine de pois chiches et cuite au feu de bois.
A l’origine, c’était le plat du pauvre, bon marché et consistante.”

Basically saying: Nice’s ‘Socca’ is one of the most popular dishes from that region, resembling a big crêpe but made from chickpea flour and cooked over wood fire. Originating as poor folk’s dish, cheap and filling

Today, it is as much casual as it can be sophisticated, and a crowd pleaser at any dinner invite or potluck. Plus since it is naturally gluten free and vegan, can be served to most anyone. Best of all it is super easy to make but tastes incredible! Use a cast iron skillet for best results but I have also come across folks making it in a pie dish, during my internet research. Traditionally it is made on a large copper disk, over very high heat and in a very hot oven. As with most street food (I was going to say any, but the Malaysian Roti Canai might be the exception to the rule) it is easy to prepare and therefore I figured must be a good candidate for outdoor cooking.

I have even had success making this directly on the camp fire (since traditionally it is cuite au feu de bois, I had to) while camping but there are no pictures to prove it, so in this day and age, it never happened, lol. The one I did manage to get pictures of was made on my camp stove. And maybe here would be a good spot to apologize for the quality of some of the pics in this post, it was quite dark when I took them. Though I have to say, my headlamp functioned quite well as a backup flash for my cell phone, no?

You can make this easily in the oven at home, but since I had a little weekend away at a campfire planned, I decided to hone my socca making skills on a real fire. Maybe not entirely traditional, since much thicker than usual, but entirely too yummy not to share 🙂 I might post a more traditional version at some later time, we’ll see, but for camp fire cooking, this is taking it out of the hot dogs and smores category that often comes to mind when hearing ‘camping’. To make things extra easy, combine the flour, salt and pepper in a zip top bag before leaving and all you have to do is add the oil, water and rosemary at cooking time!

Here shown with beef and red pepper kebabs, a match made in heaven!

Ingredients

1 cup chick pea flour*
1 cup water
1/2 onion diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

*chickpea flour can be found at many health food stores or the gluten free section of your grocery store. But the cheapest way is to find an Indian grocer and get it there, it’s called ‘Besan’

Directions

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a 8″ cast iron skillet*, cook the onions until soft, turn down the heat and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until starting to brown and caramelize. Set aside return the skillet to the heat, and keep heating on medium high.
Mix chick pea flour, water and 1 tsp salt, stirring with a whisk or fork until all lumps are gone. Set aside (you can make this and use it right away or set it aside for several hours, it’s all good)
Over high heat, in the same skillet, heat the remaining oil, then pour in the batter. After cooking for one minute, sprinkle the top evenly with the cooked onions and rosemary, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, then cover with a lid until cooked through and the top is set about 5-7 minutes. Serve hot as a side to roasted meat or eat on its own.

* If you have a 10″ or larger skillet, the result will be thinner and take less time cooking.

The setting during the day…