FLATBREADS WITH TOMATO OR PESTO

40 MINS, PLUS 30 MINS RESTING

For a quick lunch or snack, we wanted to offer our guests a relaxed but relatively speedy alternative to eating in the restaurant. But what? One day, we looked around the kitchen and we had stacks of home-grown tomatoes and some fantastic local cheese – flatbreads cooked in our outdoor wood-fired ovens were the answer. It’s an easy recipe that keeps the emphasis on the toppings and cooks perfectly well in a regular oven, too. With the tomato sauce, try charcuterie, olives and fresh herbs. With the wild-garlic pesto, we use lightly steamed seasonal veg scattered with goat’s cheese and edible flowers.

FLATBREADS

MAKES 6-8

— 5g fresh yeast

— 8g sugar

— 2 tsp olive or rapeseed oil

— 540g ‘00’ flour

— semolina, for dusting

Using a mixing bowl or a food processor with a dough-hook attachment, mix 150ml of warm water with the yeast, sugar and oil. Then add half the flour and mix to bring everything together.

After one minute of mixing, add a further 150ml of warm water and the rest of the flour. Mix for five minutes, until it forms a smooth ball of dough, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Put a pizza stone or baking sheet into your oven, set to its highest temperature. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and form into balls. Dust your work surface with semolina and roll the balls of dough into flat rounds, to a thickness of your liking; the thinner the dough, the crispier the flatbread base. Top with the sauce of your choice and cheese, if using. Quickly sprinkle the pizza stone or baking sheet with semolina, put the flatbreads on it and bake for 8-10 minutes. Scatter with toppings of your choice.

‘CHEATY’ TOMATO SAUCE

MAKES ENOUGH FOR 10-12 FLATBREADS

— 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

— 20g dried basil

— 20g dried oregano

— 2 garlic cloves

If you’re short of time, here’s an easy version of a traditional roastedtomato sauce. It’s still tasty, plus it’s a good option for children, as it doesn’t have such an intense flavour. Blitz all the ingredients together and you’re good to go.

CHEESY WILDGARLIC PESTO MAKES ENOUGH FOR 8-10 FLATBREADS

— equal quantities of wild garlic and flat-leaf parsley leaves (a bunch)

— zest of 1 lemon

— 200ml rapeseed oil

— 100g Old Winchester cheese or Parmesan, finely grated

As soon as you pick the wild garlic, wash it gently. Place in a pan of boiling water with the parsley for five seconds, then plunge into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain in a sieve and squeeze out any excess water.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor with some salt and pepper, and pulse to a chunky paste, not a purée.