Auntie Lisa, as my boys know her, bought me the Ottolenghi cookbook for my birthday. Based on the food served at the iconic London restaurant, it has a wide selection of recipes, with some particularly appealing vegetarian offerings.
Yotam Ottolenghi writes a column for the Guardian newspaper, focusing specifically on vegetarian cuisine, with interesting, different recipes – a nice change for folks who are so often relegated to eating side dishes.
As Small Boy is still sick, I made these olive oil crackers, in the hope that the salt and crunch might rejuvenate his appetite. Very easy, and very delicious and he did eat several of them quite happily (thank you, Auntie Lisa!).
- 250g plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 115ml water
- 25ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Maldon flaky salt for sprinkling
Note: the original recipe had ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper as well, but I left that out as I needed this batch to be child-friendly.
1. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the Maldon salt. Squelch the mix between your fingers to get it all combined. Then turn the dough out onto a clean workbench and knead it briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and leave it to rest for an hour in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (or 210°C with fan). On a well floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll walnut-sized pieces of dough into what the book describes as “long, oval tongues, almost paper thin”. It’s a very appropriate description! Use lots of flour to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the bench.
3. Place the crackers on a tray lined with parchment, brush the tops generously with olive oil, then sprinkle on the Maldon salt flakes. Bake for 6 – 7 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Store in an airtight container.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
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