In a Baking Spree...
Delicious, no-knead savory babka, seedy crackers, and more
I was immediately inspired by the No-Knead Savory Babka that Taste sent to my inbox. “If you’ve never made filled brioche, an intricately swirled babka might seem like an impossible dream—but with your fridge and freezer in your corner, it’s not at all. The fridge ensures that the dough (in this case, barely adapted from Alexandra Stafford’s overnight brioche rolls) is easy to roll out and coil up around the filling. From there, it’s as simple as slicing,” writes A.A.Newton.
I definitely had to try it, so I immediately whipped up the dough, of course substituting the butter for light olive oil as I always do. The next day I divided the dough in two, but I didn’t bother with the very elaborate garlic stuffing; instead I mashed 3-4 cloves I keep in olive oil after poaching them in vinegar and wine, and added some parsley —obviously not enough— so it is not as striking-looking as you slice it.
Of course I added plenty of kefalotyri, the pecorino-like cheese, for the first loaf which I rolled and refrigerated, as the recipe describes, and because it wasn’t very clear how I would cut and twist it, I checked this video.
For the second loaf, which was Costas’ and my favorite, I simply made a filling of 1 1/2 cup coarsely ground, unskinned almonds, mixed with 1 1/2 cup pecorino. This is the simply delicious savory babka I will make again, especially as I can slice and freeze it, then toast and enjoy every single piece!
If you feel like making something more cake-like but still savory to serve with drinks, this one with olives, cheese, and pine nuts is ideal.
Then I found in Bonne Appetit an ingenious Oatmeal Seedy Crackers recipe that I whipped up with only a few minor changes. We devoured the crackers in less than two days, so I had to make it again…
Crunchy Seedy Crackers
These are very easy to make and you can eat them as a healthy snack or serve along light spreads and fresh cheeses.
And of course, as always, I made my flat bread topped with the last delicious tomatoes of the season, flavored with spicy smoked cheese and scented with rosemary — although sometimes I sprinkle the tomato slices with my own blend of spicy-fragrant zaatar!
Tomato-cheese-topped Lagana (Flat Bread)
The dough is the one of my usual breads, while sometimes instead of water I mash in the blender the leftovers from our daily tomato salad...
We came very late to Ted Lasso this summer, and although we are no soccer fans, this amusing, feel-good series almost converted us… Very sorry it ended. Especially enjoyed the romance that flourished in “a Taste of Athens,” the imaginary Greek restaurant.
“José Andrés: The man who created an army of culinary first responders,” we read in a piece on the BBC Travel magazine. “Listening is a skill Andrés learned early in his career, as demonstrated through a recipe in the new World Central Kitchen Cookbook, a beautiful compendium of dishes that were created or adapted for the organisation's "activations" at disaster sites around the world,” writes Sofia Perez. Included in the article is a brilliant recipe for Sòs Pwa Nwa (Black Bean Sauce) which I am eager to try.
These are marvelous but I must admit having put it all into a food processor first so as to chop up the seeds. Usually I put crackers of this type directly on to a pizza platform or a flat clay tray.