The ubiquitous flatbread... are so many types out there. Tortillas, Naan, Pitta, Khobez, Chappati... the list is pretty endless. One thing that binds them all is their sheer versatility and you will certainly find them popping up on my blog and Instagram with a comforting regularity.
For me, flatbreads represent an easy supper and more often than not, a quick supper. My perfect flatbread is the Khobez or Lebanese variety (two names for the same thing really). It used to be that I had to go to a middle eastern shop for them but now they are stocked in my local Asda too. Normally made from white flour, they are a more junk-foody choice than my normal wholemeal or rye flour loaf but their chewy consistency and slightly thicker form makes the Khobez bread the perfect base for many a meal. That said, I am not one for passing up a pitta either!
So here is my run down of the ideal flatbread-based recipes for any time of the day:
Breakfast and Brunch:
Flatbread French Toast
The chewy Khobez bread is ideal for this recipe but I have a feeling that a ripped up pita bread would work similarly well. The important aspects are that your flatbread of choice is flavourless and thick, garlic tortillas would definitely not work well here...
It's pretty simple really and a super easy recipe to scale up for a crowd. Per person you will need the following:
1 Egg,
1/2 ripe banana
A dash of vanilla essence
1 Khobez/lebanese flatbread (or half if they are the really huge ones)
Huevos Rancheros
This Mexican dish is the perfect brunch in my opinion. Eggs... check. Fresh flavours... check. Comforting... check. A touch of spice to wake you up... check. Just try them, they are so good and ridiculously quick.
This is my smokey chipotle black bean version but a simple tomato salsa, some chopped avocado a fried egg and a sprinkle of a fresh salty cheese such as feta is an excellent even quicker version.
Light Lunches and Super Suppers:
Smoked Tofu Lahmacun
Lahmacun is typically made with lamb and whenever I have gone to Turkey I have been struck with a desire for a veggie version. I had a search of the interweb and nothing took my fancy so I made up my own version with smoked tofu, pomegranate molasses, cumin, sumac and chilli. The result... it's ridiculously moreish, unbelievably easy and has become a regular favourite on the Bright dinner table.
Flatbread Pizza with Courgette and Epoisses Cheese
I was reading my copy of Jamie magazine this week and there was a recipe in there for a courgette, new potato and tallegio pizza that caught my eye. Unfortunately the only ingredient I had for the topping was courgette and I really didn't have the energy or indeed the time to be making the base from scratch. But still, it got the ol' cogs whirring and I came up with this absolute delight.
The base is simple, you need a thickish flatbread. Khobez is a great option, pitta would work well and no doubt a Naan would be a good plan. Warburton's do a rectangular wrap that also makes an excellent pizza base and their gluten free version is excellent!
For the topping:
Mix 1 tbsp tomato puree with 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper and a sprinkle of dried oregano.
Cut a courgette into thin slices, I like to go length ways but what ever you fancy is fine.
Spread the tomato sauce over your base in a thin layer then top with the courgettes. Try not to let them overlap so that you get an even bake across your pizza.
Dot small chunks of epoisses cheese around the pizza, it's a pretty strong cheese and oozes out when heated so keep that in mind and don't over do it.
Finally, lightly grate an Italian hard cheese such as parmesan or grana padano across the whole pizza.
Five minutes in a hot oven (about 220 deg C) and you'll have an seriously delectable pizza.
Enchilada Casserole
Back to Mexico, which is no surprise really considering the tortilla is a daily staple. This casserole idea pops up a lot on mexican and american-mexican blogs so I am really not sure of it's provenance. Is it like the Indo-Anglo Balti I wonder? Who knows and who cares when it is this delicious!?
A bit like a lasagne, a bit like enchiladas. This tortilla based bake from This Gal Cooks solves the issue of what to do with stale tortillas once the pack has been opened.
Kale and Onion Flatbread Pizza
My recipe for Green Onion Pizza doesn't have the usual tomato base but simply doesn't need it. Sweet onions, slightly bitter kale and the salty savoury hit of parmesan cheese. It's pretty awesome and although this recipe gives you the base instructions, it works perfectly on a flatbread so makes the ideal speedy option.
Sshh, don't tell anyone but I sometimes bring out this recipe to use up kale that is slightly past it's best. You'd hardly know once it's cooked with the onions, topped with cheese and baked to a crisp.
Lebanese Flatbread with Spicy Chickpeas
Middle eastern flavours abound in these Lebanese flatbreads topped with a gorgeous spicy chickpea mix. I always have a tin of chickpeas or three lurking in the cupboard. They are the king of pulses, a quick protein that acts as an excellent carrier for so many flavour combinations.
Here they have been pimped up with chilli, mint and za'atar by Rachel Cotterill. She's made her own flatbread too but I see no reason why this wouldn't work on a ready made one.
Making your own flatbreads...
It's certainly not quicker and kind of negates the point of having them as an easy cheat ingredient, but making your own flatbreads is far from complicated and supremely satisfying. If you fancy having a go then why not give the following a try:
Tortillas
Khobez (Moroccan, Yemeni or Lebanese Flatbreads - not to be confused with Khobz which isn't flat)
Chapattis
Naan
Pitta
Or for something a little different with an added flavour, give these a go:
5 minute Spiced Flatbreads
Spelt Cocoa Pittas
For me, flatbreads represent an easy supper and more often than not, a quick supper. My perfect flatbread is the Khobez or Lebanese variety (two names for the same thing really). It used to be that I had to go to a middle eastern shop for them but now they are stocked in my local Asda too. Normally made from white flour, they are a more junk-foody choice than my normal wholemeal or rye flour loaf but their chewy consistency and slightly thicker form makes the Khobez bread the perfect base for many a meal. That said, I am not one for passing up a pitta either!
So here is my run down of the ideal flatbread-based recipes for any time of the day:
Breakfast and Brunch:
Flatbread French Toast
The chewy Khobez bread is ideal for this recipe but I have a feeling that a ripped up pita bread would work similarly well. The important aspects are that your flatbread of choice is flavourless and thick, garlic tortillas would definitely not work well here...
It's pretty simple really and a super easy recipe to scale up for a crowd. Per person you will need the following:
1 Egg,
1/2 ripe banana
A dash of vanilla essence
1 Khobez/lebanese flatbread (or half if they are the really huge ones)
Handful of cherries, de stoned and halved
Scattering of icing sugar
1 tablespoon natural or greek yoghurt
Syrup of choice (I tend to use rice malt syrup as it is fructose free but maple definitely tastes the best)
Salted butter for frying
Huevos Rancheros
This Mexican dish is the perfect brunch in my opinion. Eggs... check. Fresh flavours... check. Comforting... check. A touch of spice to wake you up... check. Just try them, they are so good and ridiculously quick.
This is my smokey chipotle black bean version but a simple tomato salsa, some chopped avocado a fried egg and a sprinkle of a fresh salty cheese such as feta is an excellent even quicker version.
Light Lunches and Super Suppers:
Smoked Tofu LahmacunLahmacun is typically made with lamb and whenever I have gone to Turkey I have been struck with a desire for a veggie version. I had a search of the interweb and nothing took my fancy so I made up my own version with smoked tofu, pomegranate molasses, cumin, sumac and chilli. The result... it's ridiculously moreish, unbelievably easy and has become a regular favourite on the Bright dinner table.
Flatbread Pizza with Courgette and Epoisses Cheese
I was reading my copy of Jamie magazine this week and there was a recipe in there for a courgette, new potato and tallegio pizza that caught my eye. Unfortunately the only ingredient I had for the topping was courgette and I really didn't have the energy or indeed the time to be making the base from scratch. But still, it got the ol' cogs whirring and I came up with this absolute delight.
The base is simple, you need a thickish flatbread. Khobez is a great option, pitta would work well and no doubt a Naan would be a good plan. Warburton's do a rectangular wrap that also makes an excellent pizza base and their gluten free version is excellent!
For the topping:
Mix 1 tbsp tomato puree with 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper and a sprinkle of dried oregano.
Cut a courgette into thin slices, I like to go length ways but what ever you fancy is fine.
Spread the tomato sauce over your base in a thin layer then top with the courgettes. Try not to let them overlap so that you get an even bake across your pizza.
Dot small chunks of epoisses cheese around the pizza, it's a pretty strong cheese and oozes out when heated so keep that in mind and don't over do it.
Finally, lightly grate an Italian hard cheese such as parmesan or grana padano across the whole pizza.
Five minutes in a hot oven (about 220 deg C) and you'll have an seriously delectable pizza.
Enchilada Casserole
Back to Mexico, which is no surprise really considering the tortilla is a daily staple. This casserole idea pops up a lot on mexican and american-mexican blogs so I am really not sure of it's provenance. Is it like the Indo-Anglo Balti I wonder? Who knows and who cares when it is this delicious!?
A bit like a lasagne, a bit like enchiladas. This tortilla based bake from This Gal Cooks solves the issue of what to do with stale tortillas once the pack has been opened.
My recipe for Green Onion Pizza doesn't have the usual tomato base but simply doesn't need it. Sweet onions, slightly bitter kale and the salty savoury hit of parmesan cheese. It's pretty awesome and although this recipe gives you the base instructions, it works perfectly on a flatbread so makes the ideal speedy option.
Sshh, don't tell anyone but I sometimes bring out this recipe to use up kale that is slightly past it's best. You'd hardly know once it's cooked with the onions, topped with cheese and baked to a crisp.
Lebanese Flatbread with Spicy ChickpeasMiddle eastern flavours abound in these Lebanese flatbreads topped with a gorgeous spicy chickpea mix. I always have a tin of chickpeas or three lurking in the cupboard. They are the king of pulses, a quick protein that acts as an excellent carrier for so many flavour combinations.
Here they have been pimped up with chilli, mint and za'atar by Rachel Cotterill. She's made her own flatbread too but I see no reason why this wouldn't work on a ready made one.
Making your own flatbreads...
It's certainly not quicker and kind of negates the point of having them as an easy cheat ingredient, but making your own flatbreads is far from complicated and supremely satisfying. If you fancy having a go then why not give the following a try:
Tortillas
Khobez (Moroccan, Yemeni or Lebanese Flatbreads - not to be confused with Khobz which isn't flat)
Chapattis
Naan
Pitta
Or for something a little different with an added flavour, give these a go:
5 minute Spiced Flatbreads
Spelt Cocoa Pittas
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Love it. So versatile!
ReplyDeleteI used to work in a flatbread vegetarian cafe! It is so good to see so many flatbread recipes! Love th ebreakfast ones!
ReplyDeleteWhat a super selection - I'm a bit spoilt for choice! Your lahmacun sounds very tempting!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I make flatbreads quite regularly with my sourdough starter simply because though it is not quite a speedy meal, it is one of the fastest ways of using my starter and results in a fantastic lunch with just some cheese or leftovers.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have attempted savoury french toast before - I think I would love to combine the idea of pita bread french toast with the huevos rancheros.