Recipe: Welsh cakes so good you’ll want to eat your fingers
Dishes that are good for you, the planet and your wallet; that’s what Anna Jones’s new cookbook, One: Pot, Pan, Planet, is all about. The book is divided into four chapters with more than 150 recipes. From generously filled sheet-pan meals to super-quick weeknight dinners. Everything is easy to make, affordable and, above all, incredibly healthy and delicious.
Anna: “I grew up with Welsh cakes. My father comes from a large family in Wales (eleven brothers and sisters), so Welsh cakes were often on the table. My father still loves them. I make the traditional version with raisins very often, but I had wanted to try a savoury version for years, and I’ve finally managed it. This version with green olives and capers is my favourite. The cakes are ready just as quickly as pancakes, but much more delicious. With some chutney and a quick salad on the side, they make an easy evening meal.”
How to make the Welsh cakes
- Heat the oil in a 25 cm non-stick frying pan. Add the leek and a pinch of salt. Fry the leek over low to medium heat for 8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Transfer the leek to a bowl. Remove the pan from the heat and wipe it clean with kitchen paper.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl with the leek. Rub the butter into the mixture with your hands until it forms a crumbly dough. Add the olives, capers, herbs and cheese. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and mix it together. Add an extra pinch of salt if you are not using cheese.
- Stir in the egg or yoghurt and, if necessary, add a splash of milk until a firm dough forms. You should be able to roll out the dough or shape it with your hands, so it should not be too sticky.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is 1.5 cm thick. Alternatively, roll the dough by hand into golf-ball-sized balls and flatten them. Cut 12 small circles from the dough using a 5 cm round cutter. Bring the scraps back together and repeat the process until all the dough has been used.
- Heat the frying pan over low to medium heat and cook the Welsh cakes without oil. Cook them in batches of four so you have enough room to turn the cakes and cook them evenly. Fry them for 6–8 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Do not let them burn.
- Serve warm with tomato chutney, some salad with lemon dressing and a little more cheese.
Title: One: Pot, Pan, Planet
Author: Anna Jones
Price: €29.99
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers
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