Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for parmesan
Snack series #1 – addictive flaky crackers
I’ve made crackers several times before,but this recipe uses much more oil and also has butter to make a flaky, crispy cracker. It uses actual cheese, and takes about ten minutes to form into dough and about half an hour to roll out. I present to you: rosemary, parmesan and sesame crackers.
The picture above has no sesame in, as I kept forgetting to add them in the rolling stage. You may be wondering why on earth I’m suggesting to bake crackers before exams. Well, firstly, it’s damn cold, and any reason not to go out (and just use the flour in the pantry) for snacks is good by me. Second, it’s damn cold, and this will get you moving about, and a good excuse for a not-all-day-break. Third, it’s damn cold, and this is a good reason to turn the oven on, and huddle around the meagre heat that escapes through the oven glass window. Fourth…well, you know me, I like baking things from scratch. It’s fun :D Fifth, you can make any flavour combination you want pretty much – I’m sure you could experiment without the parmesan, and do plain herbed crackers, or spiced crackers, or plain poppy and sesame. And lastly, they taste pretty fantastic.
Parmesan, rosemary, and sesame crackers
makes several dozen thin, rectangular inch long crackers
about 30g butter, diced finely
about 1/3 c oil
1 1/3 c plain flour (I used the equivalent wholemeal)
about 50g parmesan, finely grated
sesame seeds to taste (black or white) – I’d use about 1 Tablespoon.
Rosemary leaves (pref. fresh), roughly chopped a little
pinch salt
a few Tablespoons water
Rub butter, salt, and flour together to create a mixture resembling breadcrumbs (like you’d do for scones, but there’s a lot less butter). Add parmesan, rosemary, sesame seeds and oil, and mix to create larger clumps. Add a tablespoon of water at a time, mixing for at least a minute after each addition, to form a soft dought that holds together easily.
Generously flour your benchtop, and lightly oil as many baking trays as you have (you want at least two to make the process speedy). Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Divide the dough into six sections. Roll out a section on the well floured surface until you have a thin sheet just under 2mm thin. Make sure the dough isn’t sticking at any stage while you’re rolling it out. Transfer to lightly greased baking tray, cut into 1 inch (at the longest side) rectangles, and separate (you want about 1cm of space between the crackers. I’ve tried not separating – the outside rim of crackers will cook fine, but the centre will be undercooked. So separate, okay?
Throw into the oven and let bake in the centre rack for about 5-10 minutes (depending on your oven). You want them to be lightly golden, or if using wholemeal, golden brown. They may not be crispy-feeling when they come out, but transfer them immediately to a cooling rack and they will crisp up after about five minutes. While cooking, you can prepare the next batch, so you shouldn’t have too much idle time.
Enjoy with the best cheese you can afford, or just on their own. EDIT: Store in an airtight container to keep them crisp.
Next up: The classic chocolate chip cookie, without butter or eggs…but with plenty of deliciousness and super quick-ness! lea
Eggplant thingee
…it’s a very sloppy, flavour-kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue, eggplant parmesan, but so richly textured and deeply flavoured you’ll want some bread and pasta to have with it. Also, it has cauliflower in it (which makes it less kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue-y). Weird, I know…but I actually think the flavours were pretty amazing. Also, this isn’t that expensive, despite the use of parmesan and shallots and garlic in this…
While it does take a bit of effort to prep all the ingredients beforehand, then take the time to bake it until the cheese bubbles and forms that perfect golden crust, it is the ultimate comfort food and worthy of your patience. You can build up your layers even more and improvise the order of the layers and how you want to build it up…the flavours are all there!
Eggplant layer bake
serves 2 as a side
1 small eggplant or 1/2 a large eggplant, sliced into 1cm slices
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into walnut-sized florets
salt and pepper to taste
1c grated edam or mozarella cheese
1/3c finely grated parmesan
fresh herbs to top
basil pesto (optional)
cooking oil
For the tomato sauce:
1 small onion
at least 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 shallot, chopped finely (or use one medium onion instead of a small one)
1 Tbs capers (optional)
4 tomatoes, chopped, or a can of chopped tomatoes
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
splash red wine vinegar
about 1/4c cream (optional)
basil, oregano
In a medium non stick frypan, heat a teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and arrange the eggplant slices on one layer (there may be some leftover, in which case you’ll have to do this in two lots or use a larger frypan if you have one). Let cook until the slices are golden on the bottom, then flip, and cook until the undersides are golden. Set aside on a plate you’ll eat off later (just to save you some washing up :))
Re-oil the pan, add another pinch of salt and pepper, and throw in your cauliflower florets. Let cook on medium to medium-high heat to lightly brown edges, flipping and/or tossing every now and then to ensure even cooking. Once it starts going translucent and changing to a pale green, set aside with the eggplant slices. Turn heat down to low, and ensure the pan is down to a low heat before continuing.
Preheat oven to 180C (350F), with a rack arranged at the very top. Add capers, onions, garlic, and shallots to the pan with a teaspoon of oil, and let happily cook away, stirring every now and then, until golden (you can chop the tomatoes during this time). Once golden, add the tomatoes, cream, herbs, and other ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer and let cook until thickened to your liking.
While the sauce is bubbling away, you can grate your cheeses! Layer half the eggplant at the bottom, then smear with half the pesto. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese over (either parmesan or mozarella), then half the tomato sauce. Add all the cauliflower, then smear with the second half of basil pesto. Dump the rest of the tomato sauce on, smearing it out evenly. Distribute parmesan evenly on one layer, then layer the second half of the eggplant on. Top with the rest of the edam cheese and fresh herbs. Pop in the oven on the top rack for 25-35 mins, until the cheese has goldenified to your liking. The one in the picture was a little overdone actually, but go as golden as you please :). As mentioned before, serve with bread or potatoes or perhaps even atop some pasta.
Pumpkin feta and spinach thing
I seem to be making a lot of non-descript things lately. Before I go on, I’m going to brag a bit about this pie/pizza/tart. Even if you don’t like pumpkin, spinach, or feta (I’m not even going to cover the possibility of you not liking cheese), TRY this. It. Is. Gorgeous. Not only is it fantastically dance-on-your-tongue-y, but it’s surprisingly easy for a tart, and I made the dough and pressed it out in a matter of minutes. That’s right. You CAN make delicious pies on a whim.
The crust was a crispy, flaky and nutty on the outside, soft and tender where it meets the filling. Mostly it’s based on the legendary Moosewood Cookbook (from the Spinach riccotta pie crust), by Mollie Katzen. It was THE crust I fell in love with, both for its unfussy directions and totally simple ingredients which anyone should have at any time anyway (what did I say about pies on a whim?!). I’ve posted about it before actually, but I used buttermilk this time and it was in a totally different league! Also, I can’t take any credit for the elaborated method – Smitten Kitchen had a great post about pie crusts and I thank her for that dearly! However, somehow this dough turned out fabulously, without the need for refrigerating, waiting or even a food processor… anyway! Before I make it all about the crust, the filling was fabulous too.
One last thing – the reason I don’t know whether to call this a pizza, pie or tart, is that the filling is incredibly thin-layered, and the whole thing is sprinkled with cheese (heheh). But then it does use a shortcrust pastry…but it’s not really a pie because it doesn’t have a lid…anyway, call it whatever you want. The awesome thing is, this is reheatable in the oven the next day like a pizza (just bang it in at 180C or 350F, without preheating is fine, and go for 15 mins from cold oven. Check after that to see if it’s done). But also, if you want a deep dish pie, you can just use a different pan. I’ve given an outline of what the filling ingredients do at the bottom too, so you can take out aspects that don’t appeal to you. Anyway, on with the recipe!
Pumpkin, feta and spinach pie/tart/pastry pizza
makes one 25cm/10″ to serve 4-8 (it’s very filling)
CRUST
85g cold butter, chopped into 1cm-ish cubes
1c flour, plus more for dusting/incorporating later
1/3-1/2c wheatgerm – or use wholemeal flour. This is actually quite important as it gives the crust a much nicer flavour and texture
4Tbs approx ice water, cold buttermilk, or cold milk.
1/2tsp salt if using unsalted butter
With a pastry cutter or your fingers, rub the butter and flour and wheatgerm together in a medium sized bowl, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Don’t do too good a job – you want lots of small lumps of butter, with some bigger lumps not quite incorporated with the flour. Don’t freak out on me now!
Add the cold water, buttermilk (1st choice), or milk, and still using the pastry cutter or your fingers, half mix and half knead the mixture until it comes together to form a dough. You may need more milk if the dough is stiff and very difficult to knead. You can go a bit moister at this stage and incorporate more flour later easy, but you don’t want it too dry. You may get dough stuck on your fingers – don’t worry about that yet.
Now, sprinkle a generous amount of flour on a large chopping board or clean work surface. Scrape out all the dough, and begin to knead. Here you’ll get lots of the flour in if it’s a wet dough, which is fine. Once it forms its own shape easily and stops soaking up flour vigorously, shape it into a ball. Set aside, grab the bottom of your tart pan, and brush it very lightly with oil and then very lightly with flour. Plop your ball of dough on, sprinkle the outer rim of the work surface outside your tart pan base, and roll your base out, flouring every now and then to prevent it sticking to your rolling pin. Another option (if like me you don’t know where on earth your rolling pin has suddenly disappeared to) is just to press it out with the palm of your hand – shouldn’t be too hard if your dough is moist enough. You want the crust to overlap your base by the height of your tart pan. Once rolled out, pick it up carefully (you may need to slide a fish slice underneath to dislodge it), and plop it into your tart pan rim. Then tuck your sides in neatly, and if you like the ridged edges, lightly nudge your crust against the edge of your rim, so that it sort of sticks (Don’t worry, it’ll unstick during baking to reveal the pretty ridged edges).
In terms of which order you make the crust and filling in, it doesn’t matter too much. If you’re a traditionalist, you know that pie crusts should be refrigerated. If so, you can make the crust first, pop it in the fridge while making your filling, then bring it out once your filling is done. Or you can make your filling first, let it cool while you make the crust, and prevent it from heating your crust…see, either way is fine!
FILLING
1/3 of a medium sized pumpkin, peeled, and roughly chopped (some bits will be dinky, but the max sized chunk should be 1″)
1/2 an onion, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
pinch fresh oregano
handful of fresh spinach, washed and ripped to shreds
100g feta cheese, cubed into 1cm cubes (or replace with pinch of salt + roasted cashews)
1/4c finely grated parmesan (or replace with chopped roasted pistachios)
1/2c grated cheese (edam, mild cheddar) of your choice (or replace with 1/3c raw pumpkin seeds, which will roast while pie cooks)
salt and pepper
cooking oil
Heat a medium sized non stick pan on medium heat with about a Tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Add your onions (when pan is cold is fine), and wait until they start to sizzle. Stir them around a bit until they begin to turn translucent. Add pumpkin, cover, and let cook for about 2 minutes. Here you can prep some of your other ingredients to save time. Uncover, flip (or jerk the pan forwards quickly and immediately pull back to “flip” the veges), and re-cover the pan, letting the pumpkin cook for another 2-3 minutes. Uncover, and let all the steam evaporate, then add garlic, and stir occasionally. The pumpkin should eventually have some golden flecks on it. Once it is easily crushable with your spatula or fish slice, turn off heat, remove from heat, and add oregano. Mix through, and then let cool (if making the crust last, you can let all the things cool now). Preheat oven to 200C or 400F, with a rack in the middle or if using the middle rack for roast potatoes, arrange a rack on the bottom for the tart.
TO ASSEMBLE & COOK
Scatter half the spinach over the crust, then add the pumpkin mixture, spreading it evenly. Add feta cubes, the rest of the spinach, and finally, sprinkle over the parmesan and third cheese. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over. Slip onto the middle rack if baking nothing else in your oven, otherwise, on the bottom rack. Let bake for about 15 minutes (check at 10 if your oven is fast or fan forced) on the bottom rack, then re-arrange the rack on the top rack and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.
Serve with a fresh leafy salad or roast potatoes (new potatoes roasted are….so…good)
Filling guide:
The pumpkin adds a little sweetness, and the addition of garlic and salt makes it sort of smoky tasting. Cooked the way specified above (ie, covering the pan) will retain a lot of moisture so the pumpkin will be creamy rather than powdery.
Spinach erm…really just adds some colour! There’s not much of it in the pie, so you can double the amount if you want extra veges.
Feta – mainly saltiness, but also pungent cheese-ness! I like Whitestone feta, which is usually available at NZ supermarkets (it’s a south island brand), as it’s not greasy and keeps its shape well.
Onions – added sweetness and smokiness once caramelised
Oregano – I dunno, it just tastes nice damnit!
Garlic – do I really need to explain this one?
Other cheeses – also self explanatory…baked or grilled cheese is just amazing.
A three-cheese almost-lasagne
On perusing the pasta aisles recently, I realised that lasagne noodles are in fact more expensive than regular pasta. You get less (which I suppose makes sense, because you don’t use as much), but for some reason, you pay more for this. I scratched my head, and instead just decided to go with the spirals I had at home…and man, am I glad I did. This has got to be the best stumbled-upon thing I’ve made up on the spot, EVER, and it is packed with vegetables (ok, so it also has considerable amounts of cheese, but seeing as there’s no mince, your heart should come out alive), garlic, and onions. Seriously, don’t be concerned. It’s pretty cheesy, but not dripping in the stuff. How could you go wrong, right?
I served it Lone-Star styles (if you’re a New Zealander, you’ll know that Lone Star does HUGE meals, which no female would be able to finish) with roast pumpkin and potatoes, but this is fine (and certainly substantial enough) on its own (which is great, because you’ll have less to clean). Ok, so you’re still reading, but still you’re probably wondering: what on earth IS it, then? I guess it’s a layered three cheese vegetable pasta bake, but that’s really quite wordy, so if you have any name suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
Just to pimp this some more: As well as smelling absolutely drool-inducing (this is the dish vegetarians should use to convince carnivorous friends that they do indeed have a life), this is so much easier than lasagne, as you don’t have to carefully place the noodles on a single layer or anything. You get more for your dollar, and you don’t have to end up with left over pasta that you’ll only ever use with lasagna, because you’re using spirals (or whatever other pasta you want) which are much more versatile. It’s a win win win.
The recipe, already!
Three cheese layered vegetable pasta bake
serves two on its own (generously, as the cheese makes this quite filling).
I’ve put a * by the ingredients where you could easily try another vegetable in its place (suggestions at the bottom of this post), just to make things more versatile.
250g pasta (half a bag), any shape is fine, just not spaghetti-style noodles or cannelloni.
1 small eggplant, sliced into 1cm slices
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (divided)
string beans, snapped into 1″ lengths (about 1c)*
4-5 mushrooms, thickly sliced*
1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
optional: pinch dry oregano
100g feta, cubed
1/4c finely grated parmesan (optional if you’re on a really tight budget)
2/3c grated cheese (edam is a good choice)
cooking oil
salt and pepper
Start some pasta cooking in a saucepan (no need for oil, just salt).
Meanwhile, heat 1/4c cooking oil in a large non stick frypan on medium heat, and arrange the eggplant slices into the oil on one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover, letting cook for about 2 minutes (you want the bottom to be flecked with golden brown bits and the tops to have started going translucent). Flip all the slices, add a splash of water, and quickly cover again, letting cook on the other side for a further two minutes until they are also flecked with golden brown. Uncover, add 3/4 of the garlic, and stir, mixing the garlic through. Continue adding splashes of water to get the eggplant to get mushy-ish, and stop adding water a minute before they’re cooked (they will have shriveled up a bit and changed from being white on the inside to brown). The garlic should not be burnt (ie, should not go darker than a golden brown colour). Transfer the slices to a baking dish with relatively high sides (a round 20cm dish is fine), keeping the eggplant all on one layer. Try to scoop out as much of the garlic as you can from the pan.
Preheat your oven to 200C or 400F, arranging a rack on the top third of the oven. Add a tablespoon of oil to the still hot pan, and add the onions. Cook until translucent and the edges start to go golden brown, then add beans, oregano, and garlic, and cook for about a minute before adding mushrooms. As soon as the mushrooms are coated in the juices and oil from the pan, turn off the heat, and let them sit in the pan.
Sprinkle the eggplant slices with 1/3 of the parmesan and regular cheese, and 1/4 of the feta. By now the pasta should be done. Turn off the heat on the pasta, and using a slotted spoon, scoop out about a half of the pasta and dump it on the cheese-covered eggplant slices. Don’t worry if there’s a little water that gets in, that’ll keep things moist. Top the pasta in the baking dish with all the beans and mushrooms from the pan, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the parmesan and regular cheese, and 1/4 of the feta. Spoon on the second half of the pasta, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Pop in the oven for about 20-30 mins, until there are golden flecks on the melted cheese top. This can be served all on its own as a complete meal…and you won’t regret it later!
Other vegetables that could taste awesome with this:
peeled cubed pumpkin – will require a longer cooking time though
chopped tomatoes
broccoli florets – will require slightly longer cooking time (about a minute)
marrow or zucchini/courgette slices
fresh spinach – will require no cooking in the pan, just layer directly
squash – will require a longer cooking time
If you want to up the protein (you evidently are a carnivore :P), add some pine nuts in there. Seriously yum.
Make your own basil pesto
I had lots of basil floating around (they’re great to plant with tomatoes as they both detract each other’s common pest), and the logical solution to using it all was that delicious, yet incredibly expensive, flavour paste BOMB that is basil pesto. You don’t even need a food processor to make your own, if you use Donna Hay’s “rough chopping” method. Personally I like the pesto to have everything chopped down really small, so the food processor really does come in handy there, but then again, you do get more washing up to do!
Now, before we commence on this smelly yet fantastically versatile flavour sensation, let me give you a few things to think about. First – there is a REASON pesto is expensive. The ingredients that go into it aren’t cheap – but don’t gawk at the prices too long, because with pesto, a little goes a long way (unless you’re my flatmate Bob, who used all his in one sitting).
Thanks must go to Deborah Harding for her basic basil pesto recipe and guide on how to use it. I basically use this recipe every time now, although the last batch I added some lemon zest too, which worked quite well and I like to think it stops the pesto oxidising as quickly. Who knows though? EDIT: Tony Tahhan has recently posted the secret to keeping your pesto green – blanch your basil or whatever herb/leaf you’re using for 10-15 seconds in boiling water, then rinse immediately under cold water, making sure to drain as much water out as possible. I have yet to try this, but will edit again. Meanwhile, I trust Tony, so go ahead and blanch! Let me know how it goes.
Home made basil pesto
makes about 200g
approx measures (don’t get too caught up, as long as the basic proportions are right, you’ll be laughing). This is really the minimum you want to be making in a conventional sized food processor though, because otherwise everything will just stick to the sides of the mixer bowl.
2 c well packed fresh basil leaves (give them a rinse)
1/4c pine nuts or almonds or cashews (absolutely no peanuts here people)
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
approx 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (I use cooking oil and it still tastes delicious)
1/2 c FRESHLY gated parmesan cheese – get the good stuff, or it won’t be worth the effort!
salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste
optional: 1 packed Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (not the white bit, just the fragrant yellow bits!), or a small squeeze of lemon juice
Pulse basil and pine nuts a few times in a food processor (or finely chop, and add to a bowl). Add garlic, and pulse again. Scrape down sides of food processor. Add oil, and pulse a few more times. Scrape down, add parmesan, and pulse a few times again. Add lemon zest, salt and pepper, pulse, scrape down, and taste. Add more salt if necessary, and take out food processor blade. Mix in with a spoon to fully incorporate, then put into small jars or airtight containers. Refrigerate.
The most important part about the order is that you add the oil and mix it in before you add the salt. This will prevent the basil leaves from wilting as much and going to a watery soppy texture.
The top of the pesto may go a bit brown after a day or two in the fridge. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean it has gone off, it has just been oxidised. Don’t leave opened basil pesto in your fridge for more than a week if possible, and if you’re making a big batch, don’t be tempted to freeze it, just store it in lots of small containers and fill them to the very top to get in as little air as possible.
EDIT: Dash of food posted a brilliant recipe for basil pistachio pesto – seeing as I adore pistachios, and they’re cheaper than pine nuts, I will SO be trying this next time around!!!
Sundried tomato and cheese bread
…It’s like having pesto IN your bread. With bread this flavoursome, you won’t need any dips or sauces, which is a great time and money saver. This bread is slightly adapted from the parmesan and sundried tomato loaf in Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes a Day (sigh…such a great book). If you’re a basil pesto fan, try fresh basil leaves in place of sundried tomatoes, or use basil pesto. Either way, you can imagine how amazing this smells – tangy yet salty, the perfect bread for a picnic if you dont want to take half-opened containers of pesto (ahem…which leak). The recipe below if enough for 3 large-ish loaves, or 4 littler ones, and thanks to the artisan bread technique, it’s easy to have the dough on hand for plenty more, with half the effort.
I have to admit I was tempted to try and make this healthier by adding wholemeal flour, but boy am I glad I didn’t (shhh). This was so heavenly soft, and without melting any butter either.
The crust is nice and crisp, which is so nice for bread that has a cheesy aroma.
Cheese and sundried tomato bread (based on the vermont cheddar bread in Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes a Day)
makes 3 large-ish loaves or 4 smaller ones
2 3/4 c water, at body temp.
1 Tbs salt
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 Tbs yeast
6 1/2 c all purpose or high grade (bread) flour, plus lots more
1 c grated cheese (edam or a mild cheddar or similar)
1/4 c grated parmesan
sundried tomatoes, chopped
Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl, then add flour. Mix flour in without kneading, adding up to about a cup of extra flour if it doesn’t come away from the sides of the bowl at all when the dough is pushed up against the sides of the bowl. Add cheeses, then keep mixing until the dough is uniformly moist. Cover (not airtight), and leave somewhere that’s at least 21 degrees C (room temp), for 2-5 hours, until the dough is doubled in size and the surface of the dough is almost flat.
Divide the dough roughly into 3-4 equal size portions, and put each in a box except one and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Or you can refrigerate a portion if you’ll use it within the next 4 days, but I don’t recommend this as the dough sometimes ferments and tastes a bit yeasty if left for more than 2-3 days.
Using one of your portions, dust it with flour, as well as a board. Knead to incorporate it into a ball, stretching the surface of the dough and feeding it back into itself.
To make it in your loaf pan (thanks to Smitten Kitchen for posting the technique!): Stretch or roll out into a rectangle, and scatter with chopped sundried tomatoes. Roll the rectangle up, stretching and pulling the dough as much as you can without breaking it. Seal the edge with your fingers, and fold the top and bottom ends into the centre of the roll, ensuring the length is approximate to your loaf pan. Drop into a lightly greased metal loaf pan, preferably non stick.
To make it into a round loaf: Seal the bottom, and let the dough ball sit seam side down.
Let rest and rise at room temp. for 40 minutes (1 hour if you’re using defrosted dough). After 20 minutes of resting, preheat your oven to 230C or 450F, with a rack arranged in the centre and bottom. Put a small metal pan (roasting or brownie pan) on the bottom shelf, and a baking stone if you have one on the centre rack (if making a round loaf).
After resting, pop round loaf onto your baking stone or your loaf tin onto the centre rack, and quickly at the same time, add about a cup of water into the empty metal pan on the bottom shelf*. Close the oven door quickly, and let bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, rotating halfway for even browning. If the top of the loaf is already brown 15 minutes in, reduce the temperature to 180 or 160C or 350F. Take out when the top is a darkish golden brown, and sit the loaf on a rack to cool (or in the pan for a few minutes, then pop out onto the rack). Serve warm or cooled.
Note: I don’t recommend salty dips or pesto with this bread, as it’s already relatively salty. If you can’t bear to eat it plain, use unsalted basil butter or cream cheese or something similar.
*This method helps to make the crust nice and crisp, as does using a baking stone/pizza stone.
When using frozen dough: let defrost completely, preferably overnight, then knead on a floured board and continue from there.
Easy cheesy potato thyme warm salad
Do not cringe at the word salad, for there are no fiddly leaves in this bar some thyme. I don’t really need to try and sell this to you, as it has butter, parmesan, thyme and potatoes (and erm…nothing else, actually…although you could add salt and pepper if you like your potatoes like that). Yes, all the good things in life. Now, I know not everyone is a fan of parmesan (whether it’s the rotting socks smell of it or the price tag for a decent chunk), but it’s not at all rotting-socks-like in this at all. It’s simply there for the cheese factor, a mild flirt on the side…don’t worry, it won’t try to abuse your nose. It won’t even abuse your pans! (I say this after having roast potatoes stick to my roasting pans even if I all but deep fry them in the oven…)
Now you can use any herb you like, it’s just that I’ve developed a liking for parmesan and thyme starchy things. Especially crackers or biscuits.
Parmy thyme ‘tatoes
No recipes here! Just get as many potatoes as you want to eat, wash and de-sprout them, chop them into 1 inch chunks, and boil them with some dry thyme until a fork inserted goes in without a hitch (or if you’re truly spastic, just goes in without too much resistance). Drain well, throw into a bowl, and while still hot, chuck in as much butter as you think you can handle. Grate over some parmesan (again, use your judgment), and mix it all up. Taste, and add salt and pepper or more parmesan if necessary. Don’t worry if things start crumbling a little, either. If you have fresh thyme, use it as a garnish.
Works with any potatoes, but I’m guessing they’d taste best with new season baby ones. Enjoy!
Christmas gifts – tips and recipes
You know you don’t want to be at the mall the next few days, or at least, you want to spend the least amount of time physically possible in one, popping in to get only the items on your list. I’ve only just gotten around to making my presents, but it’s not too late! Below are some tips for saving some time and money on doing DIY gifts or making your presents look pretty without being pricey or wasteful.
While DIY gifts can take a little more time, they’re so much lovelier and special than store bought gifts, and are far more rewarding for the gift giver to make. You shouldn’t be working extra hours to pay for christmas presents – use those hours to do something different!
Wrapping, boxing and decorating
If you’re anything like mymother, you’ll have bags of old wrapping paper carefully peeled off gifts from years gone by, as well as a stash of ribbons and bows. Usually you should be able to get away with only getting one new reel of ribbon. Make sure it’s mat (not glossy), as this will ensure that any tying mistakes you make will not be drastically obvious should you need to re-tie. Also, pick a colour that matches most of your existing old ribbons. Good colours are silver, gold, white, and red, which also look great together.
Using old ribbons: the thin plastic kind which wrinkle easily can be easily re-used. Just use some pointy scissors to un-tie, then make sure you use the tied bits again so those wrinkled bits don’t show up. Voila, you’ve doubled your ribbon arsenal.
If you’ve got thick ribbons, you can cut them in half lengthways to use as thinner ribbons – just make sure to use extra sharp scissors, and only halve ribbons that have a tight weave or are plastic.
Got a thick fabric ribbon with tie-wrinkles? Wrinkle the rest of it to create a rustic-looking ribbon and to add texture to the look of your gift.
Make your own wrapping paper by decorating old newspapers or butchers paper with simple red green and gold stripes or Christmas ink pad stamps. Oddly shaped gifts can be put in bags made from off cuts at your nearest fabric store – just sew 2 sides (or three if you’re making a bag with two pieces of fabric) and tie the top with some nice ribbon.
Re-use old containers, peel the labels off, and put Christmas baking in them, then tie some pretty ribbons on them. Cyclops organic yoghurt makes great containers (pictured) with easy-peel labels. These can be decorated with your own handwriting using permanent marker (silver ones are nice, although be prepared to pay a premium for them!)
If you’re a photographer (aspiring or otherwise), print out your top shots of the christmas tree on photo paper (6 per 6×4 print) and use them as christmas tags and labels. You can also stick them to some card and create personalised Christmas cards.
If you’re baking and your packaging is clear, it’s nice to add some sprinkles in your packet of goodies. Shake in some chocolate hail for cookies, or dried herbs for savoury items.
Christmas Recipes
Cranberry swirl ice cream
(base recipe courtesy of Imperrfrections)
makes just under 2L
500ml cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5-7 Tbs cranberry conserve, jam, or syrup
Whip cream until it keeps its shape. Fold in sweetened condensed milk until fully incorporated – do not beat more. Pour into container, swirl through spoonfuls of cranberry conserve, and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Parmesan and Thyme crackers (base recipe courtesy of Cook Like Mad)
makes 5-6 dozen, depending on size.
3c plain flour + 1c for flouring
3/4 Tbs salt
1/3-1/2c finely grated parmesan (use rind grater)
1/2 tsp thyme (fresh is best but dried will do too)
1/3c vegetable oil/olive oil
3/4c water
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then create a well in center. Pour in wet ingredients, stirring to form a dough. Sprinkle flour on a clean cooking surface, and knead the dough, adding more flour to form a soft but not floppy dough, about two minutes. Chop into 4 dough balls, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. Once rested, preheat your oven to 190C, with rack in middle. Very lightly grease 2-3 baking trays with cooking oil.
Lightly flour your cleaning surface and roll dough ball out to 1/8th inch thickness, no thicker than 2mm. Cut into desired shapes, dot with a fork, then fit together on baking tray. Ensure no crackers are touching, but you don’t need to leave more than 2mm room between them. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes, then rotate tray 180 degrees, then bake for a further 5-7 minutes. Take crackers out when golden and crispy. Let cool on a rack and store in a sealed container. Normal crackers will last about a month, but as these have parmesan in them, try and consume within 2 weeks.
Traumatic but rewarding – parmesan and paprika biscuits
Don’t get me wrong, this delicious recipe by Il Cavoletto Di Bruxelles is yummy as, but omg. I’ve never made biscuits that are this crumbly before, and boy were they worrying to make. The dough kept falling apart on me, and the refrigerated dough was quite difficult to cut without breaking. If you feel like a bit of a challenge (no one is going to make this now are they?), these aren’t too time-consuming, but you’ll feel great eating the things. They’re also delicious, did I mention that? And cute. Delicious and cute.
They also look pleasantly rustic. I think they’d make a great afternoon tea thing, or a snack as you ahem…study. They’re quite addictive actually… muahaha. But yesh.
Did I mention they’re cute? I couldn’t resist these shots.
Don’t hurt me!! But I’m right, right? I mean, that could make a cute pattern on a dress or something.
Anyway, this is what they look like cooked. I slightly overdid them, but that really only shows on the bottom.
Anyway, here’s the recipe, translated from Italian from the original site (and adapted slightly, as I didn’t have enough parmesan):
Parmesan & Paprika biscuits
makes 25
140g flour (1 c)
100g butter, softened
60g parmesan, finely grated
5-10g grated tasty cheese (or other strong cheddar)
1 tsp paprika
1 egg yolk*
pinch salt
* Use the leftover white in scrambled eggs or quiche or something.
Mix butter & parmesan. Mix in flour, paprika and salt, then add yolk and mix to combine into a dry but soft dough. Bring together with hands quickly and knead to form a dough ball. It may crumble a bit but don’t be tempted to add water. Roll into 1 long (or 2 shorter) cylindrical shapes 1″ in diameter, bag and put in fridge, preferably overnight.
Next day, preheat your oven to 220C or 450F, and unearth your dough cylinders. Very lightly grease an oven tray (brushing with a pastry brush dipped in a little oil works well). Cut 5mm thick circles off your dough cylinder (to stop crumbling the dough, roll the knife across the cylinders, rotating as you push down to cut. Arrange the discs on the tray at least 1cm apart (they don’t expand much), and place on the middle or upper rack in your oven. Bake 5-10 mins until lightly golden, making sure you check the bottoms (you don’t want them brown, just golden) for burning. Allow to cool, and for storage use an airtight container.
The good stuff. Time to get out the salad greens…
It was a proper summery type day (yes, mid-spring) yesterday, where it burnt if you were outside in black and the beach was warm enough for boys to walk around topless (possibly one thing I might like about global warming). New Brighton was nicely packed, the fish’n'chip place got our order slightly wrong, we wave jumped fully clothed (it began as innocent ankle-dipping for me, but a soaked white cotton t-shirt later, I couldn’t deny it wasn’t the day to be cautious). Yes, it was a brilliant day to hail summer in. For tea then, a proper salad with in-season greens would be the perfect end to what had been a busy summery day for me (potting tomato plants, making my own butter, pancakes, general faffing).
Of course, I also wanted something cheese-laden, so I used up the last of the buttermilk to make a healthy amount of buttermilk parmesan potatoes. Served up with some fresh bread (featuring home made spring onion butter) and a watercress salad, it was the best summer dinner I’ve had (…ok, since last summer…there was some damn good meals going on back then too). Dressing up the salad was a nice zingy lemon and parsley yoghurt dressing, drizzled with flax oil (but extra virgin olive would be good too), which tempered the pepperyness of the watercress a bit. For good measure I steamed up some fresh asparagus I’d just bought (there are some gorgeous ones on sale at Full Season at church corner, see links to the right), just so I could use more fresh butter.
Watercress cucumber salad with zingy yoghurt dressing
serves 2
2 handfuls of watercress, especially the younger bits at the top. get watercress at Full Season vege market at church corner for $1.50 for a ridiculously large bunch.
1/2 carrot, julienned (cut into think matchsticks, or failing that, grated)
3″ off a telegraph cucumber, shaved with a peeler or cut really thin down the seeds
dressing:
1/3-1/2c natural unsweetened yoghurt (I use Karikaas)
zest of one lemon (don’t get the rind in, unless you want a bitter dressing)
a few sprigs of flat parsley (or curly), chopped finely (any fresh herb will do though)
pinch of salt and fresh black pepper
extra virgin olive oil (or basically, your best stuff!)
Toss veges together in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients (except oil) in a small cup and pour over salad, then drizzle over extra virgin olive oil. Serve (this salad would go well with these spicy lime toasted pumpkin seeds)
Note: if your watercress looks a bit grumpy (it can do that after an hour in hot weather), give it a gentle wash in cold water and leave in a colander or bowl for 10 minutes to revive it while chopping other ingredients.
Buttermilk Parmesan Potatoes
serves 2
3-4 potatoes, sliced very thinly
1/2 c buttermilk
50g cheese
20-30g parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 200C or 400F. Arrange potatoes on a roasting dish to cover the bottom in a single layer, letting the slices overlap a little. Pour over buttermilk, then finely grate over half the normal cheese and parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and repeat so that you get only 2-3 layers (you want cheese between the layers to cook the potatoes well. Throw in the oven on top rack (important) for about 30-40mins until the top is properly golden, and the potatoes let a fork slide into them easily.
