My first encounter with scallions was at a Sunday lunch at my paternal grandparents' house, where I was offered a fresh scallion, right from their garden, alongside my grandmother's homemade cheese. Needless to say, I fell in love with their bright flavour.
To me, they are one of the signature sights and flavours of spring. Equally delicious raw and cooked, and incredibly versatile, the perfect vegetable. Although in many recipes only the white part of the scallion is used, this recipe uses both white and green parts. All of it gets sautéed slowly, and then folded through the golden, speckled cornmeal batter.
This is one of those old-fashioned recipes that you simply have to love. Not only is it hearty and infinitely adaptable, it is also incredibly easy to prepare. A few minutes to wash and slice the scallions, another few to let them sauté as the batter is coming together, and the pie is ready for the oven. A marvellous quick lunch idea, as well as a great picnic treat.
It is very delicious both hot from the baking pan, and cold, even the next day. Truly best served with some thickened soy yoghurt as a dipping sauce, and even with a light sprinkling of crushed dried pepperoncini.
Ingredients
250 grams fresh scallions
100 millilitres vegetable oil, divided
150 grams fine cornmeal
100 grams plain flour
50 rye flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
400 millilitres carbonated water
Preparation
Wash and clean the scallions, then finely chop them, making sure all of the parts are used; the white and the greens. Pour about half of the oil into a large skillet, and place it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the scallions, and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté them, stirring often, until they become fragrant, but not for too long. They should remain still bright in colour. The aroma will change, from somewhat sharp and pungent to mellow and sweeter. Remove from heat, add in the salt, pepper, and sugar, and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, and reserve.
Sift the plain flour, cornmeal, and the rye flour into a large bowl, and mix well so all of them are combined. Sift in the baking powder and mix again to distribute it well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the carbonated water and the rest of the oil, and briefly mix. Add in the sautéed scallions, and mix them through. Line the bottom and sides of a round baking pan (24 cm) with baking parchment, pour in the batter, and immediately bake in a preheated oven, at 200°C, for about 25-30 minutes. Once baked, generously mist the top of it with cold water, and serve. Yields 4 rich servings.
