Charlotte Pike

Award-winning cookery writer, teacher and chef

Recipes

Flatbreads

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Flatbreads

Those of you who have been following me on social media will have seen plenty of these flatbreads on my table this summer. They are such a wonderful, versatile addition to so many meals, and we’ve become firm fans in our house. So, here you go, by popular demand. I do hope you’ll like them if you make them.

Flatbreads
Yields 8
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
271 calories
44 g
0 g
8 g
9 g
1 g
99 g
24 g
4 g
0 g
6 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
99g
Yields
8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 271
Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g
13%
Saturated Fat 1g
6%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 24mg
1%
Total Carbohydrates 44g
15%
Dietary Fiber 7g
27%
Sugars 4g
Protein 9g
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
2%
Iron
16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 500g plain or spelt flour
  2. 1 large pinch sea salt
  3. 240-250ml water
  4. 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and stir to distribute the salt. Add the water and oil and stir to combine. Fold and knead the dough until all the dry flour is incorporated. Once the dough is brought together, knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth. Leave to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.
  2. Once the dough is rested – leave it for longer if you have more time – and divide into 8 balls. Heat a good non-stick pan over a high heat. Roll out until around 5mm thick – you might not need flour, but use a little if the dough is sticking to the surface or rolling pin. Do this one at a time.
  3. Roll and cook the flatbreads one by one in the hot pan. Cook until lightly browned, tuning the flatbreads half way through. They may puff as they cook. The pan needs to be hot, but not too hot so they burn. You may find the pan needs turning down once you’ve cooked one or to flatbreads. Alternatively, they could be cooked on the barbeque.
  4. Serve warm or cold, but allow to cool on a wire rack so that they don’t soften. These flatbreads keep for a day if stored in a sealed bag or container once cool. They freeze well. They’re delicious served with salads, stews, soups and curries, instead of a naan.
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calories
271
fat
8g
protein
9g
carbs
44g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

Courgette Fritters

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These delicious fritters are wonderfully simple to make, and are a great use or larger courgettes, which, in my view, do not look as appealing or have the delicate flavour of the first, young courgettes of the season. Chickpea or gram flour has a lovely flavour, but use plain white flour if you don’t have it to hand. This recipe is very versatile, so feel free to try different cheeses and herbs.

Courgette Fritters
Serves 4
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390 calories
43 g
184 g
17 g
19 g
9 g
420 g
675 g
9 g
0 g
6 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
420g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 390
Calories from Fat 146
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17g
25%
Saturated Fat 9g
45%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 184mg
61%
Sodium 675mg
28%
Total Carbohydrates 43g
14%
Dietary Fiber 5g
20%
Sugars 9g
Protein 19g
Vitamin A
27%
Vitamin C
110%
Calcium
34%
Iron
18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 3 large courgettes, grated coarsely
  2. 4 spring onions, very thinly sliced
  3. 200g feta, crumbled into small pieces
  4. 3 large eggs, beaten
  5. 150g gram flour
  6. 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  7. 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
  8. Sea salt and black pepper
  9. 2-4 tbsp olive or sunflower oil, for frying
  10. 1-2 lemons, cut into wedges
Instructions
  1. It really doesn’t take long to prepare and cook these fritters, so start by doing all the prep, and cooking them just before you want to eat them, so they’re at their freshest.
  2. Start by putting the courgettes, spring onions and feta into a large mixing bowl. Stir together gently. Add the beaten eggs, flour and chopped herbs and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are evenly combined and the flour has been incorporated. The mixture will look a little lumpy, but don’t worry.
  3. Pour half the oil into a large non-stick frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat.
  4. When the oil is hot, spoon in the mixture, one large tablespoon at a time. The fritters may take one to two minutes to become richly browned and slightly crisp underneath, and then they can be flipped over, using a spatula. Once they are turned over, press each fritter slightly, to flatten and encourage the centre to cook through. Once firm and righly browned on each side, remove and place on kitchen paper to blot. Repeat until the mixture is used up. You should end up with 15-20 fritters, depending on size.
  5. Serve fresh from the pan, but keep them warm in the oven on a baking tray if you need to.
  6. Serve with lemon wedges, and maybe a tomato and herb salad. If the fritters aren’t all eaten up, you can keep them in the fridge and eat them cold or reheat in the oven later.
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calories
390
fat
17g
protein
19g
carbs
43g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho

Gazpacho is one of the highlights of summer cooking and eating, for me. Chilled soups are some of my favourite things to eat on hot days, and gazpacho is probably my favourite of all. I first learnt how to make gazpacho when I lived in Madrid. The summer was seriously hot, well into the mid 40s, and this was pretty much all I fancied for my evening meal. Gazpacho is eaten very widely in Spain, and in every deli or supermarket, you’ll see cartons of gazpacho for sale in the chiller. 

We ate this every day a few weeks ago, during the heatwave here in the U.K., and it reminded me just why I love it so much. It is perfect for those evenings when it almost feels too hot to bother cooking and eating. It’s cooling, refreshing, nourishing, with such lively and exciting flavours. 

This really is a soup to make in the peak of summer, when the ingredients are at their best. Quite simply, it won’t taste the same if you try it at any other time. The flavour of properly ripe tomatoes really make gazpacho sing. Good bread is essential, for body and texture.

For the best results, make this gazpacho in a blender or liquidiser, rather than a food processor, for the smoothest result. When it’s really hot, I often make this in the Nutribullet, meaning there is even less equipment to clear up afterwards. Olive oil and parsley make a wonderful topping, but chopped vegetables are quite traditional. 

Gazpacho
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
239 calories
30 g
0 g
12 g
6 g
2 g
440 g
180 g
11 g
0 g
10 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
440g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 239
Calories from Fat 104
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g
18%
Saturated Fat 2g
8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 180mg
7%
Total Carbohydrates 30g
10%
Dietary Fiber 6g
22%
Sugars 11g
Protein 6g
Vitamin A
74%
Vitamin C
295%
Calcium
11%
Iron
12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. ½ large cucumber, peeled, roughly chopped
  2. 1 large yellow pepper, de-seeded, roughly chopped
  3. 1 large red pepper, de-seeded, roughly chopped
  4. 6 large, perfectly ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  5. 2 banana shallots, roughly chopped
  6. 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  7. 100g best quality bread, such as sourdough
  8. 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  9. 2 tbsp Sherry vinegar
  10. Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend most of the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and shallots to a rough purée in a food processor, reserving a couple of chunks of each vegetable for a garnish, if you like.
  2. Add the garlic, bread, olive oil and sherry vinegar to the food processor and blend again until smooth, or to a more textured consistency if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  3. Transfer the soup to a jug, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes, or until cold.
  4. Cut the reserved vegetables into small cubes. When ready to serve, pour the gazpacho into bowls and garnish with the vegetables, or a drizzle of oil.
beta
calories
239
fat
12g
protein
6g
carbs
30g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/