Single Homemade Toasted Tarhonya

Mix all the flour and beaten egg with a small pinch of salt in a bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes into a very firm, smooth dough, incorporating every loose crumb without extra flour or water. Leave the dough uncovered for 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat a conventional oven to 60°C. Coarsely grate the firm dough into little grains about 2-4 mm across onto parchment on a small metal tray, separating any clumps with your fingers. Spread all the grains in a single layer and dry in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until firm and dry through but not browned. Continue drying if a broken grain still feels soft or tacky inside; timing varies with grain size and the oven. Cook the grains immediately after drying.

Warm all the olive oil in a small heavy saucepan over low to medium-low heat. Add all the dried grains and stir often for 5-8 minutes, until pale golden and nutty smelling, without dark brown or burnt spots. Heat the reserved water separately.

Carefully add 60 ml of the hot water to the toasted grains. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally. Whenever the pan is almost dry but the grains are still hard inside, add another 20-30 ml from the hot-water reserve. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the grains are tender with a slight bite and the added water is absorbed; use only as much water as needed and discard any unused plain water. Take off the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork. Serve all the grains and oil as one small side portion; no stew, sauce or garnish is included.