fabulous flatbread and chopped Turkish salad

Lisa did these two recipes accompanied by some grilled chicken breasts (or was it legs....wings even). Anyway both recipes are from the Moro cookbook.
The ingredients are readily available and the recipes are very, very easy making it a perfect mid week family meal.
Lisa cooked the flatbreads on the hob in a heavy frying pan (as they say you can) and they were absolutely fab.

Turkish Chopped salad

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cucumber, peeled
• 1/4 small red onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, halved and seeded
• ½ green pepper, halved and seeded
• 2 heaped tablespoons each of roughly chopped fresh coriander and parsley

Dressing

• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper „

To serve

• 200g Greek yoghurt thinned with 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon Turkish chili flakes warm Flatbread or pita bread

Method

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning.

Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and red and green peppers very finely and place in a bowl. Do not be tempted to use a food processor. Add the herbs and dressing. Toss well and check for seasoning. Spread the chopped salad out on a large plate. Spoon the yoghurt over the centre of the salad.
Sprinkle with the chili flakes.

The flatbread


Makes approx 4 breads.

200g unbleached strong white bread flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 level teaspoon dried yeast
170ml tepid water
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 230C/450F.

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the water and then pour the oil into the water. Now pour the water into the flour, a bit at a time, while mixing. When all the water is added, transfer to a floured board and knead well. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes until the dough is ever so slightly tacky, but soft, elastic and smooth. Let it rest for 45 minutes covered by a tea towel.

Divide the dough into four, and roll into balls. On a generously floured survace roll each balll to 3-5mm thick. You should have rough circles 15-20cm in diameter. Top each round with a little olive oil. Place on a flat oiled baking tray and bake in the top of the oven for 5-10 minutes. Each bread should partially bubble up and colour slightly yet not be totally crisp.

Leon Cookbook. First time out. Tuk Tuk salad

One of my Xmas gifts was the Leon Cookbook.
This was the first time I have used it, Leon's mantra is 'Good food. Fast' this recipe certainly fits that Bill.
apparently it is named after the buggies in Thailand that 'bomb around in the same way that this salad's flavours motor around in your mouth'and it also 'puts the bang back into Bangkok'
It's a big claim but this salad really is rather delicious. One of the reasons I like it is also that you can make a few adjustments based on availability or personal taste and it still delivers.
We served it with sesame chicken wings from the same book.

Serves 4 as a healthy main

Ingredients

250g basmati and wild rice mix

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

½ red pepper diced

½ yellow pepper diced

8 baby plum tomatoes, quartered

A big handful of rocket, very roughly chopped

2 tablespoons toasted seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame)

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

1 lime

Salt and pepper

The dressing:

1 red chilli, chopped teeny, seeds or not, depending on how hot you like it

3cm root ginger, washed and grated

half a large or 1 small clove of garlic, chopped tiny

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

Method

Get the rice on the hob and cook them for the time it says on the packet.

Meanwhile, make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together, then leaving it to sit and infuse. As the rice is ready, drain it into a sieve and run it under cool water. Then put it in a bowl. Stir in the peppers and spring onions and some salt, and mix in the dressing until all is well coated.

In another bowl, mix together the tomatoes, rocket, seeds and coriander and spread them over the top of the rice. Serve with quarters of lime.