Pancake Tuesday, Koshari, Chorizo con Patatas y Queso, Mushroom-Manchego Tart

Pancake Tuesday
The traditional "last day before Lent" is in the middle of the Anglo-Saxon cyswuce -- cheese week. I decided to make Stafforshire Oatcakes.

75 gr (2.6 oz) Fine Oat Flour *

75 gr (2.6 oz) Whole Wheat Flour

150 ml (1/2 cup) each Milk and Water

1 Packet Quick-Rise Yeast

Pinch salt

Lemon wedges and confectioner's sugar, or some shaved extra sharp white cheddar (or manchego) for toppings.

Warm the milk and water to blood temp.  Add together the flours and yeast packet and sugar. Pour in the warm liquid (you may not need it all) and make a reasonably thin batter.  Cover and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour, until nicely risen.

At this point the batter is too thick, so stir in some additional milk and/0r water to thin it out to "crepe" consistancy.

Use about 2/3 cup of batter for each oatcake.  Cook on a lightly sprayed griddle or skillet on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side.  You should get 8-10 oatcakes about 8" in diameter.   Serve savory, with cheese, or sweet with sugar and lemon.  Oh, what the heck -- have some of each!

Koshari
This is a traditional Egyptian street food and family recipe.  Make it from scratch, or like I did using leftover lentils and rice and adding the other ingredients in proportion.  Serves 2:

1 cup cooked Rice  --warmed up
1 cup cooked Lentils -- warmed up
4-6 Tomatoes for sauce
1 can Chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 cup dry Cavatappi macaroni or elbows or shells 
1 large Onion, sliced into strips and dusted with flour
1-2 Tbsp distilled White Vinegar
Cumin -- to taste
Coriander -- to taste
Red Pepper Flakes -- to taste

Cook the pasta to package directions.   While that's going on:

Stem the tomatoes and puree them (the tomatoes, not the stems) in your food processor, until not quite smooth. 

In a small pot heat the chickpeas until warmed.

Caramelize the onions in a skillet until crispy and blackened but not burnt.  Reserve.

Transfer the puree to the same skillet, add the vinegar and spices and cook for 5-6 minutes to marry the flavors.

Layer the rice, lentils,  and chickpeas.  Follow that with the pasta, then pour the warm tomato "gravy" over everything.  Finally, top with the caramelized onions and serve.

Chorizo con Patatas y Queso
Sally got a wonderful block of Manchego cheese and I wanted to find something special to make with it.  This Spanish tapa was just perfect.  Being vegetarians we wouldn't normally 'do' chorizo, but Tofurkeytm  makes a wonderful chorizo-flavored substitute indistinguishable from the real thing... 

When you're buying real chorizo sausage, you want the hard Spanish chorizo which is like salami, not the softer Mexican chorizo which falls apart and becomes just a flavoring...

Chorizo -- removed from casing and fried
Potatoes -- bakers, sliced 3/4" thick and roasted fork tender (30 mins @400F)
Manchego -- slice thin 
Escalivada -- roasted red bell peppers, onions and peeled eggplant (1 small Japanese will do)
Salt, Pepper, and Spanish Paprika to taste

The original recipe calls for you to dollop each potato slice with shredded manchego melted in cream, but I wanted to celebrate the cheese alone.  So I just "shredded" it with my vegetable peeler into long, wide strips.

On each potato lay down the cheese, top with the escalivada, and finish with some sauteed chorizo.

Mushroom-Manchego Tart
More Manchego magic.  Manchego with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions and thyme is a flavor-match made in culinary heaven! 

Chickpea Crust
This is my 'go to' pizza crust, just more of it, to make a thicker crust.

1-1/2 cans Garbanzos (save the rest to add to the filling, or for another recipe)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend -- I love Olde Thompson's Everything Italiantm
2 cloves Garlic
2 Eggs
1/3-1/2 cup Parmesan
2-1/2 Tbsp Corn Starch

Filling
12-16 oz sliced Mushrooms
1 large sweet Onion
"some" Spinach 
3-4 oz Manchego
1 Tbsp dried Thyme

Take the chickpeas, corn starch, garlic and seasoning for 10-15 pulses in your food processor.  Add the eggs and Parmesan and pulse/spin into a soft dough.  Press the dough into a 12" tart pan with a wet spatula.   Par-bake the crust at 450F for 20 minutes.  Cool.

While the crust bakes, slice and caramelize the onion is a large skillet.  Reserve.  In the same skillet saute the mushrooms until just beginning to color.  Toss with the thyme and reserve.  Wilt the spinach, covered, in the still warm skillet.  Slice the cheese into wedges, like I did, use a vegetable peeler to make large shreds, or use the large side of a box grater.

Assembly
Lay the wilted spinach down in the bottom of the crust.  Top with the caramelized onions (and leftover chickpeas if any).  Layer on the sauteed mushrooms.  Top with the cheese, and bake again, at 400F for 20 minutes.  

Rest the tart for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Note:  Check your local grocery stores and megamarts.  Here, I can actually buy 7.75 oz  "half cans" of various veg including chickpeas, black beans, corn, green peas, etc.  I keep a few of each in the pantry for applications just such as this.