Things haven’t quite been right in my little world. Nothing at all serious, truly, just out of whack and things were not feeling or looking quite right. You know how things are supposed to look, but you can’t quite trick your eyes into seeing them right. I have an immense passion for what I do. I know this shows and shines through the heart of this beautiful space I have created at Relish Mama and I am so thrilled that it does. I know that I have hit the career jackpot but it is still a lot of work – way more work than I ever thought possible. Sometimes (often) I have a problem knowing when to ‘stop’ and when to also say ‘no’. I am really not great at the ‘no’.

On Saturday, after dancing my little botty off with my youngest at a stage show production, I could feel that absolute cracker of a moment when you are being flooded with joy. I had the most wonderful Saturday with her and happy tears streamed quietly down my face as I held Ettie’s her hand and we just danced. When I step out and I adjust and balance the scales a little better, my eyes are always able to start to see more clearly. Lessons I need to constantly remind myself of.

Yesterday I worked from home. Despite putting a pot of soup on, doing a quick whizz around with the vacuum early in the piece, I was really, really productive (insert fist pump). The lack of disruption is like being able to hang a giant ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door and just going for it for the time you have scheduled. I loved being home to see my girls as they arrived home. Later in the day, I made us some naan bread to go with the lovely fennel soup we were enjoying for our dinner. A sped up version of naan containing no yeast & no proving time. Ready in a flash to feed the family before they rushed off to their various sporting mini-marathons that seem to now be part of every night of our week. I posted this quick Naan recipe on my Instagram stories and have stored it in highlights – just for you. Click here to get that recipe. I am very new to using stories in Instagram but I must say, I am kinda loving it waaaaaaayyyyy more than I thought I would.

When I have a little more time and when the calling is too loud, pita is my love and my weakness and where I never regret I have ventured. Here is my recipe which I truly love sharing in our classes. It features often in our Moroccan cooking classes at Relish Mama & often in my home. I hope it can be enjoyed in your own home very soon also.

Talk soon.

With love,

Nellie

x

Homemade Pita
Makes 8

1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast
½ cup or 125ml lukewarm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 teaspoons of sea salt, plus extra when serving
1 cup or 250ml lukewarm water
4 cups of strong flour (bread flour or 00 flour is ideal)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
Olive oil spray
Semolina or flour for dusting & rolling

Place yeast into a medium sized bowl with ½ cup of warm water and olive oil. Whisk lightly to combine and then set aside for 10 minutes. Dissolve the salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and also the salt water as well as the honey and natural yoghurt. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl (alternatively, use a stand mixer that has a dough hook to do this). Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 ½ hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.

Scatter a little semolina or flour across your bench top. Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 4mm. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places or use a ‘pastry docker’.

Preheat a non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Add a little olive oil or butter to and cook one pita bread at a time for approximately a minute on each side or until lightly golden. Sprinkle with a little sea salt as they are cooking.

These are definitely best served warm. They will keep covered for a couple of days but I also still ever so gently reheat when serving.

This recipe is also featured in the new Relish Mama cookbook