cheese – Agapi.Style

Garlic and black olive butter

This is a very, very tasty snack or addition to breakfast. I recommend preparing this oil in advance, so that it has time to fill with the flavors of all the ingredients. I recommend serving it with warm bread.

Ingredients:

250 g of good tasty butter,
150 g of Olives (you can use any, but I like it best with the blackest dried). Most importantly, remember that the taste of this snack oil directly depends on the taste and quality of Olives.
1 tsp. ground dry garlic (can be replaced with 1-2 cloves of fresh, passed through a garlic chopper),
2 tsp dried herbs oregano / rosemary,
Salt and pepper to taste.

How to do:

1. soften butter at room temperature.

2. free the olives from the bone, cut arbitrarily without bringing them to the paste.

3. when the butter is soft, mash it with a fork, add the olives, garlic and herbs, mix thoroughly and season with salt / pepper to taste. A lot of salt and pepper is not worth it, because later the olives will give their spice to the oil, keep this point in mind.

4. transfer the butter to an airtight container if you intend to store it, or to a nice serving dish if you plan to serve immediately. his to the table. Send it to the refrigerator to brew for 1-2 hours. When serving, you can sprinkle it with olive oil and garnish with olives.

Corn. How to choose and enjoy.

In corn at the same time 3 important points: choose the right ear, properly cook and delicious served.

1. How to choose.

1.1. First, determine what is in front of us corn. Food or feed.

The cob of feed corn long, color of grains yellow, and they are pretty tough, they are difficult to crush with fingers, the shell they have thick, taste tasteless.

The cob sweet corn food more short and thick, the color of the bean white-yellow-beige, they are soft and full, with pressure from them is juice (it is similar to milk), the taste is sweet.

We need food that is corn, but if you only sell feed, it is also possible to prepare. Below I will describe how both types of corn.

Important. Also comes in multi-colored corn, but it is often used as decor for popcorn or for making flour. I saw this in USA, but she is not ready. And there white corn. To choose it is necessary, by analogy with yellow, but not focusing on the color of the beans. Here’s the corn I cooked, and I will say that the yellow varieties closer to me to taste.

1.2. How to choose a young fresh corn.

Buy only untreated corn. First, without the leaves it dries quickly, without leaves it is not necessary to cook (taste will not be the same) and that on the leaves you can see how long the cobs are collected.

The young corn and bright green succulent leaves, and stigmas (hairs that are sticking out of them) – light, tender and moist.

Definitely need to see how the ear looks like inside. Reveal the leaves to the ground, but not pulling them. The grains should be soft but elastic, equal in size, closely adjacent to each other and without dents and shriveling. The color of the grains should be as bright.

2. How to cook.

Depending on the variety and degree of ripeness, cooking time is very different. Food corn cook for 10-30 minutes, aft 2-3 hours. I recommend when cooking choose one pilot on the cob and occasionally to try to pinpoint readiness. It is important not to overcook the corn, otherwise the grain will become hard. And undercooked corn will also be solid, and even the starch flavor of the beans. In General, when corn will reach the condition, you will this taste is not to be confused;)

The cooking process:

• To cook corn should with leaves and stigmas. I reach for my cobs only the outer couple of leaves, rinse it well and put into a pan. Or you can remove all the leaves and stigmas, but be sure to lay them in a saucepan with the corn (part on the bottom part of the top). They give the corn the right flavour and taste.

• The pot with thick walls, well-kept temperature. Size such that all the bobbins fit in the cooking process were under water. If they at length do not fit, cut them in half.

• Pour the corn will need is boiling water. So it is more delicate. So I put a pot of corn on the stove, pour the boiling water, and over high heat bring water again to a boil, then make a quiet fire and cook it under the lid. If cook feed corn in water, add milk/cream/butter/sweetener. It’s a bit ennobles the taste. Salt when cooking I don’t put, it makes the corn tough. Cooking I wrote above, be sure to taste the corn in the process.

• Once the corn is cooked, turn off the fire. If you don’t plan to eat all the corn at once, then store it in the fridge or in the pot of water, or put part of the broth in a zip package. If you keep it dry, it’ll dry out.

3. How to make corn.

My favorite way is:

Preheat the oven to maximum. RUB finished corn with grated cheese (ideally Parmesan), cheese that has penetrated into all the slits between the grains, spread it on a baking sheet, sprinkle some more cheese on top, you can season with salt/pepper to taste and be sure to sprinkle a pinch of ground Chile pepper. In the oven to melt cheese. Removed, sprinkled with lime juice and enjoy your meal;)

Can do it in a frying pan, quickly fry the corn over high heat on all sides.

Oatmeal cheese sticks

Very cool! Is and snack, and are on the road to take, and instead of bread to use for Breakfast with coffee. Anyone that)

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of rolled oats,

• 0.5 Cup wholegrain flour from spelt wheat or wheat,

• 80 g hard cheese (Gruyere, cheddar),

• 1 egg (optional)

• 0.5 Cup of milk any except highly aromatic, and sweet,

• 3 tbsp olive oil (you can substitute for butter),

• 2 tsp oregano or any other herbs

• 1 tsp dry garlic (optional)

• 0.5 teaspoon of salt and pepper,

• Herbs, poppy seeds, sesame seeds for topping.

How to do:

1. Mix oatmeal, flour and spices. Grate cheese (can be large) and add to dry ingredients, mix well. Add butter and egg, mix well. Add milk gradually, we will adjust the dough consistency. If you put in the dough egg – ‘ll need less milk, if not more milk.

2. Kneaded the dough. It should be fairly tight to be able to roll out. If necessary, add 1 tbsp milk to it.

3. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm, cut arbitrarily. The thinner the dough and the smaller the slice, the crispier it will be baking. For convenience, you can roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper. Can just with your hands to form sticks, that’s how someone convenient.

4. Lay strips on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Top if desired sprinkle with herbs, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, salt, etc. Or you can pour the poppy seeds/seeds/spices on a plate and dip the sticks in them and put on a baking tray this way up. So the layer of topping will be thicker. Look at your taste. Bake until Golden for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 200C.

Spice roasted pumpkin with burrata and nuts

Very quick and sophisticated appetizer that can and salad to name, as you wish.

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 1 small pumpkin, weighing about 1-1. 5 kg,

• 2 large or 4 small burrata (you can substitute for a “quick Breakfast”, mozzarella cheese and even goat cheese). For 1 person you will need about 50-70g cheese

• Any lettuce leaves for serving – a handful per serving

• 4 tbsp. roasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or any on your taste),

• 3 tooth. garlic

• 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp for salad leaves, 3 tbsp for roasting the pumpkin (optional can add butter 50g, he will be even tastier),

• 2-3 tbsp agave syrup/honey or any other sweetener (optional)

• 1 tbsp dried oregano,

• 2 sprigs fresh or 1 tbsp dried sage

• 1/2 tsp dry Chile flakes or powder Cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika,

•1 tsp sea salt

•½ Tsp freshly ground black pepper

• Balsamic cream and vinegar for serving.

How to do:

1. Pumpkin wash, peel and cut into segments. The slices should not be thinner than 1 cm to the outside of the pumpkin made a good sacramentalist, and inside are wet. Not Melkite. Lettuce leaves, sage wash and dry in paper towels. Garlic peel, wash and crush each clove with the flat side of a knife.

2. Spread the pumpkin on a baking tray with baking paper, pour on it all the spices and herbs, garlic, add the sweetener and butter, mix well, after massaging fully each piece and bake in the oven at 180C until the appearance of brown. I have it takes about 30 minutes, sometimes more. Depends on the oven, varieties of pumpkin and size of the pieces.

3. Ready to get a pumpkin and let it cool for just 5 minutes. At this time, tear lettuce, mix it with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt/pepper to taste.

4. Feed. Put a handful of salad on the plate, top with 5-6 slices of pumpkin, then the cheese. If you are using the burrata, then be sure to cut it and lay the cut up to the filling of straciatella it is not resulted. If you use another kind of cheese, then distribute it randomly on top. Then sprinkle each serving with at 1st.l. coarsely chopped nuts, drizzle it all with olive oil, balsamic cream and finish with leaves of sage, which by the end of baking, the idea is to turn into crispy chips.

I recommend is so that all the ingredients were present on the fork at the same time. The combination of acidity and freshness of the salad, a spicy-sweet pumpkin, creamy cheese and toasted nuts, it’s just fantastic!

Spicy yoghurt sauce in Oriental style with a Georgian accent

I was preparing this snack it cheese labne. Labne is a delicate curd yogurt cheese. Roughly speaking, this is yogurt from which to remove the serum, and he became thick and dense.

Analogues of labne are thick(!) Greek yogurt or Icelandic skyr. In this recipe it is also possible to replace just the cream cheese.

For the first time labne I tried in Israel, and my love for him grew stronger in Turkey. There’s this cheese is often included in the set of snacks. It is served with olive oil, olives, herbs and fresh hot bread. In principle, this cheese nothing more is needed, but I decided to experiment with it, and it was versatile and delicious snack.

Ingredients:

• Cottage cheese (labne) – 3 tbsp (100g),

• Greek yogurt – 3 tbsp (100g),

• 1 medium or 2 small fresh ogurchik,

• 1-2 cloves of garlic (depends on your love for him),

• 3 tbsp olive oil (2 tablespoons in sauce, 1 – add),

• 1-2 tsp white wine vinegar or Apple cider vinegar

• 0.5 teaspoon sumac (you can omit, but it is much more interesting),

• 0,5-1 teaspoon of good fresh Svan salt

• 1 tsp – dried marjoram (you can substitute oregano, Basil),

• Black pepper to taste.

How to do:

1. Cucumbers wash, be sure to remove skin. If the inside seeds of a large – remove them with a spoon. Cut into small dice. Garlic pass through chesnokodavku.

2. Mix all the ingredients (except the spoon of olive oil), put it in a nice bowl and top with sprinkle with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of sumac. You can eat immediately, but can infuse. The tastes can be quite different. Try and so and so.

I love this sauce with rye bread or with hot pita bread. And very recommend to make Mesa, submitting along with this dish of babaganoush was and hummus.

Beet hummus with goat cheese

Once I cooked a lot of chickpeas and tried to make different hummus, this one turned out to be very successful and unusual, because instead of part of the tahini, I put goat cheese, which is perfectly combined with beetroot. If you do not eat cheese, then you can omit this ingredient.

The cooking process is exactly the same as the classicone, only the ingredients have changed:

100 g of boiled chickpeas (how to cook chickpeas in detail wrote here),

100 g of baked beets

50 ml of liquid from cooking chickpeas/water (it may not be needed at all if the beets are juicy),

2 cloves of garlic,

2-3 tbsp tahini (or 2 tbsp tahini + 2 tbsp curd goat cheese),

2 tbsp olive / sesame oil,

2-3 tbsp lemon juice,

1 tsp coriander,

Optional 0.5-1 tsp ground ginger (if you like),

A pinch of cumin,

A pinch of cayenne chili pepper,

salt/pepper to taste.

How I bake beets.

Wash the beets, wrap them in parchment and bake for 50-60 minutes at 180C. The speed of baking depends on the size of the root crop, after 40 minutes, pierce the largest fruit with a sharp knife, if it enters without crunching and titanic efforts – the beet is ready. Let it cool down and then you can clean it. I recommend cleaning over the sink or in a bowl of water, so as not to stain everything around;)

P.S. This and any other hummus recipe can be used to make a dip based on beans or lentils. That is, you keep all the proportions, only use a different type of legume instead of chickpeas. I wish you interesting experiments!

Fried Camembert with Sweet & Sour berry sauce, spicy salad and rye croutons

1. First make the berry sauce on the basis of which is described here.

In this case, I took about 100g of blueberries and 30g of cranberries, spices added a pinch of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, 1tbsp.l. the Jerusalem artichoke syrup and a 1st.l. balsamic cream.

You can even make it in advance, it is perfectly stored in the refrigerator for a week.

2. Camembert/brie, roast or bake.

3. While preparing the cheese, make the salad.

A handful of salad mix or any neutral taste salad (corn, for example) my dry. Throw on a plate, pour dressing on salad, mix, on top add roasted pecans or walnuts.

Dressing “vinaigrette”.

Mix in the emulsion 3st.l. unrefined olive oil + 1tbsp.l. balsamic vinegar + 1tbsp.l. lemon juice + 1H.l. honey or any mild sweet syrup (Jerusalem artichoke, for example) + salt and pepper to taste. The sauce should be buttery, spicy sour-sweet.

4. Feed.

Spread on a plate with salad a head of cheese, some toast from your favorite bread (I dried in the toaster rye with a salt crust), the sauce is served separately or put a couple of tablespoons directly into the cheese. Enjoy)

How to make Camembert/brie

Usually I Camembert bake but when traveling, there is not always an oven, so I fried it, and so I decided to describe in detail how to do it so that the cheese does not spread over the pan.

1.do not use any oils, only a dry non-stick frying pan. The butter melts the white mold on the surface of the cheese and it leaks out.

If the frying pan does not have a non-stick coating, and you really want to fry the cheese, then I recommend putting baking paper on it. So he, too, will not burn, or stick quite a bit.

2. the fire should be medium so that the cheese does not burn immediately, but has the opportunity to lie in the pan longer and warm up to the middle.

3. in this case, the pan should be very well heated before you put the head of cheese. So the crust will seize and also will not allow the cheese to flow out. If you put the cheese on a cold surface, it will definitely spread.

4. the process itself. So, you took a dry frying pan, put it on medium heat, warmed it up well, then spread the cheese (many roll it in flour so that it doesn’t exactly flow, but I don’t do that) and fry on one side for 1-2 minutes, then gently turn it over with a wide spatula and fry the second side for 1-2 minutes. Then repeat the procedure to achieve the desired degree of frying.

Periodically turn the cheese over so that while one side is fried, the second from above dries out a little/cooling down. If the cheese is fried for a long time on one side, then you simply can not turn it over and fry evenly.

Serve it perfectly with berry sauce, with onion jam and garlic baguette or with croutons and pesto.

Instant appetizer of goat cheese with strawberries and walnuts

I already wrote about the mind-blowing salad with strawberries, goat cheese and spinach served with poppy dressing, and so is the appetizer of the same series, just cook it 2 minutes, unlike the salad.

For 1 serving you will need:

50g goat cheese or Chevre cheese. Here the need is a French cheese, well, or a spicy, tart.

4-5 large klubnikin.

4-5 walnuts (I have them pre-mine and dried to a crisp).

The amount of filling to taste, and it consists of equal parts olive oil, honey/syrup Jerusalem artichoke, and balsamic vinegar. All beat in emulsion. Should get sticky sweet sauce. You can substitute balsamic cream.

How to do:

Berries wash, dry, cut arbitrarily. Top with the crumbled cheese, then roasted nuts and pour dressing. To rekomenduojama a pinch of poppy seeds, it then fitted perfectly to taste. In General, strawberries, goat cheese, poppy seeds/nuts is one of the classic perfect combination.

Can put salad on a handful of arugula or spinach, which also need a little drizzle with dressing and mix well.

The portion seems small, but it is very satisfying☝

White asparagus, baked blue cheese, garlic and lemon juice

It is very tasty, and it is not even necessary to love asparagus to be imbued with this dish. It is self-sufficient as a hot snack, as a side dish to fish dishes or as a breakfast with poached eggs.

Recipe:

1. Wash a bunch (500g) of white asparagus and gently peel each stalk with a peeler, retreating from the top about 2-3cm. It is necessary to clean, otherwise the skin after heat treatment will be Oak. And it is better to do this by putting the stem on the surface, otherwise it may break.

2. while peeling asparagus, it’s time to put boiling water with milk (200ml) and a pinch of salt. Milk can be replaced with cream or butter in a smaller volume (as much as the fat content of cream/butter is greater than the fat content of milk (3.5%), so many times you need to reduce the number of ingredients used). Asparagus can be cooked in two ways: standing and lying down.

For the first method, all the stems lead to the same length and tie them with cooking thread. Dishes for this will fit slightly higher than the length of the stems. You need so much water that it does not cover only the very top of the stem.

For the second method, you need a cooking container, the width of which will allow the asparagus to float freely there. You will need so much water that the asparagus does not touch the day.

After boiling the water, spread the asparagus and cook for exactly 3 minutes. Then carefully remove and let dry a little on paper towels.

3. spread the asparagus on a baking sheet, peel 5 cloves of garlic, crush with the flat side of a knife and send it to the asparagus, generously throw blue cheese on top (I had about 100g of Gorgonzola), but 50g of any blue cheese you like is enough. Sprinkle with lemon juice (1-2st. L.) and send to the oven at 200C for a while, until the cheese is well baked. We take out, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white / black pepper, serve immediately!