Читать книгу Kitchen Memories - Lucy Boyd - Страница 49

150g plain flour

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

6–8 tbsp water

pinch of salt

3 medium egg whites

To make the batter, sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Stir in the extra-virgin olive oil and add the water a little at a time, stirring to make a smooth, creamy consistency, then cover with cling film and put in the fridge for half an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the artichokes. Cut the end off each stem, leaving 1cm still attached to the bud. Pull away the tough outer leaves until you reach the tender yellow ones. Slice the top of the leaves off just above the heart. Pull the leaves apart slightly to reveal the hairy choke, then remove the choke with a spoon. Peel the stalk and trim off the tough bits around the base of the heart. Cut the artichokes lengthways through the stem into quarters, then put in a bowl of water with half a lemon and its juice to prevent them discolouring. Once they are all prepared, remove them from the water and pat dry on kitchen paper.

Drain the salted capers, rinse again and dry on kitchen paper.

When you are ready with the artichokes, capers and borage, pour enough sunflower oil into a large, heavy-based pan so that the oil comes to about 1cm or so up the sides of the pan, then heat to about 180ºC.

Back to the batter. Whip the egg whites until they are soft but can stand alone. Fold the egg whites into the flour and olive oil and water mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Dust the artichokes with flour seasoned with salt and pepper and shake off any excess. Put them into the hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes, turning them, until they start to turn golden and crisp at the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.

Holding the borage by the stalk, sweep the buds and leaves through the batter, tap off any excess batter against the side of the bowl and then carefully place in the hot oil. Fry for a minute or so until golden and crisp, then using tongs turn the borage over and fry until golden on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.

Put the capers in a clean, dry metal sieve (it is important not to let any water near the oil) and lower into the hot oil. Let them sizzle for 1 minute, then remove onto kitchen paper.

Cut the remaining lemon into quarters. Put all the ingredients on a plate, sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top and serve immediately with the lemon quarters.