Tag: cheese

White pizza margherita with crispy base
06Sep

White pizza margherita

My blogger friend Amanda gave me this idea to make a #dirtypizzaparty to get all of our guilty pleasures on top of one base (or two. or three). This pizza party is transatlantic btw so i had this 12″ margherita to myself. She reiterated the pizza had to have your favourite, guilty food as a topping. And loads of it. Consequently cheese, which means the topping is pure cheese with a touch of cherry tomatoes. Pizza for me is all about simplicity, the way to my heart is a thin crispy margherita, simple and crunchy. The base in my opinion can make or break a pizza. This challenge by Amanda push me outside of my comfort zone because I rarely make bread and have never made a pizza base before. No, correction – I have attempted it before but ti doesn’t even bear thinking about it. The shape on my white pizza base turned out very “rustic” but the texture was really amazing, when rolled to half an inch it bakes like heaven. White pizza margherita (makes 2 12” pizzas) for the base: 300g plain flour 7g dried active yeast 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp olive oil 200ml warm water 1.
3 mins read
735 Views
15Oct

Party snacks

Who here, on the lead up to a party they were hosting, has never panicked about finger food? I know I have. More than once, but I have learned my lesson and now have a few party snacks that always feature on my repertoire.  At this point I feel I need to apologise to my friends who always end up eating the same nibbles when they come over to mine. However recently I was invited to a friend’s house and she served one of the snacks I often serve at home. They can’t be so tiresome then, I call that a recipe success! In this post I am sharing with you two snack ideas that are super handy for a party or for a nice Friday night in with a glass of wine. Bacon wrapped dates Dates Bacon, cut into thin strips Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Depending on the length of the bacon, cut the strips in half and wrap it around the dates. Place them on baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. 2. Bake until the bacon is crisp. Let it cool before serving. Romeo and Juliet sticks Emmental cheese (block) Guava sweet (goiabada) Method: 1.
2 mins read
633 Views
11Jun

Cheese bread and Chimichurri sauce

Today we continuing with our special posts for the World Cup. This recipe is a true Brazilian tradition, we call it pão de queijo which literally translates to cheese bread. It doesn’t matter where you come from we guarantee you’ll love this snack. Snacks are definitely an essential part of our culture as they are always popular for the mid afternoon munchies or just to accompany a cold beer at the end of the day. Pão de queijo is one of our essential snacks and it’s has a special place in Brazilian hearts, almost as much as football. And amazingly these cheese breads are gluten free! That’s right, they are made with cassava flour which is a root vegetable, it looks like a white potato with a thick brown skin. Although cassava that originates from South America it has been exported to Africa and Asia therefore you will find it in dishes from different cultures. It is this special flour that gives these little rolls its texture: crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The chimichurri dip however is not a Brazilian recipe but it complements the cheese bread so well. Many people also add butter or even berry jams to it but they
3 mins read
755 Views
10Feb

Hot chilli hearts

Shops are overflowing with chocolate at the moment: truffles, biscuits, lollipops. All wrapped in pink with little roses and sprinkles. As a lady that made me think “why yes I love all these little sweet gifts on Valentine’s” but more often than not my better half doesn’t appreciate chocolate as much as I do. Especially when they are wrapped in pink heart-shaped boxes. He likes chilli, manly, puts-hair-on-your-chest fiery type ones. So I made him some red hot chilli biscuits. Heart-shaped ones because let’s not forget, it is Valentine’s after all. Cheddar and chilli biscuits (makes around 20) 100g Plain flour 100g Cold unsalted butter, diced 1 tsp cornflour 90g extra mature Cheddar, finely grated 1 red chili, finely diced 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1tsp salt 1/2 tsp Paprika Depending on how hot you like your food, adjust for measures of chili and cayenne pepper. And remember to protect your hands with gloves or a little plastic bag when removing seeds from chili! 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix plain flour and butter with hands until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 2. Add all other ingredients and mix with hands until dough is homogeneous. Knead briefly onto a floured surface. The
2 mins read
607 Views