Читать книгу Enjoy: New veg with dash - Nadine Abensur - Страница 15

I have a fond nostalgia for these simple, bready pancakes, and badgered my mother, friends and family for the recipe for years (‘It’s nothing, darling,’ my mother would say, ‘just a simple bread dough . . .’). The Mimouna is a singularly Jewish Moroccan tradition to celebrate the last day of Passover, where the dietary restrictions of the previous 8 days (no leaven of any kind) are lifted. It’s a child’s idea of heaven – only sweet things are served. There were fancier things by far than mofleta but I always adored these, served oozing with butter and honey. Now, as a seasoned tradition breaker, I suggest serving them for breakfast.

MAKES 10

1 teaspoon dried yeast

a pinch of sugar

about 125ml warm water

250g strong white bread flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra for frying

butter and honey, to serve

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in about half the water and set aside for about 10 minutes, until it froths. Put the flour, salt and a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large bowl and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and enough of the remaining water for the dough to form a soft ball.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Return it to the bowl and pour the remaining tablespoon of oil over it, rolling it in the bowl till it is oiled and glossy all over. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place for about 1½ hours, until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll them out as thinly as possible on an oiled work surface. Then pull and stretch them to make them even thinner. Carefully lower one of the dough rounds into a lightly oiled frying pan set over a medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes, until lightly coloured underneath. Turn over and cook the other side for about a minute, then remove from the pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. To keep the mofleta soft and pliable, cover them with a cloth, placing each new one under the previous one. They quickly go hard as they cool, so precautions are necessary. You can reheat them in the oven, if necessary, as long as you wrap them in foil first, but eat them warm you must, copiously buttered and honeyed.