Say cheese

Use the new sophisticated selection to upgrade simple and easy recipes.

By EREZ KOMAROVSKY
Cheese and potato balls (photo credit: Dan Levy)
Cheese and potato balls
(photo credit: Dan Levy)
Don’t wait for Shavuot to enjoy sharper and tastier cheeses. Locally made, kosher cheeses such as Pecorino, Parmesan and kashkaval, can turn even the simplest recipe into a dish worthy of a special dinner.
PECORINO CHEESE BISCUITS WITH QUINOA
✔ 11⁄2 cups flour ✔ 1 cup sheep Pecorino, shredded ✔ 1 Tbsp. salt ✔ 100 gr. butter ✔ Quinoa ✔ egg white for brushing
Process butter, salt and flour in a food processor shortly. Add shredded pecorino. Roll the mixture into a 2 cm diameter roll, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
When ready, brush the roll with egg white and cover with quinoa. Slice into 1⁄2-cm.-thick biscuits, arrange on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 170 degrees, or until golden.
CHEESE AND POTATO BALLS Makes about 20
✔ Frying oil ✔ 6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered ✔ 250 ml. reduced fat (10%) cooking cream ✔ 100 gr. Emek cheese crumbs ✔ 1 egg, beaten ✔ 1 cup bread crumbs ✔ Black pepper, salt and nutmeg
Parmesan sauce:✔ 250 ml. reduced-fat (10%) cooking cream ✔ 75 gr. ground Parmesan ✔ salt, pepper and nutmeg
Boil potatoes in salted water until done. Strain and place in a bowl. Mash by hand and add cream. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and let cool.
Heat oil in a deep pan. Take a tsp. of the Emek cheese crumbs, cover all around with the potato mash to create a ball. Dip the balls in beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs, and fry until golden, about 3 minutes.
Prepare sauce: bring cream to a boil, add Parmesan. Mix well, remove from heat and keep warm.
Serve cheese balls with sauce on the side and fresh cut vegetables.
MEDITERRANEAN TOMATO SOUP Makes 8
Tomatoes, peppers, garlic, thyme and olive oil - with a camembert cheese - a local celebration!
✔ 8 tomatoes, halved sideways
✔ 3 cloves garlic, chopped
✔ 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
✔ 3 sprigs oregano, leaves only
✔ cooking salt
✔ 5 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 1 celery root, peeled and cut into chunks
✔ 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
✔ 2 onions, peeled and cut into chunks
✔ 5 red peppers, roasted, peeled
✔ 2 glasses water
✔ 1 liter tomato juice
✔ 3 Tbsp. sugar
✔ salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
✔ 1 tsp. coriander seeds
To serve:
✔ 100 gr. Gilad kashkaval cheese
✔ 1 package (125 gr.) Ein Gedi camembert
Heat oven to 200º. Arrange tomato halves on a baking sheet, sliced side up. Sprinkle each half with garlic, thyme leaves, oregano and salt. Drizzle a little olive oil on each half. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. Cool and remove skins.
Heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in a large cooking pot. Fry the root vegetables in the oil about 7 minutes. Add peeled tomatoes, peppers, water, tomato juice and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower heat and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes. Season. Serve the soup as is or puree, strain and reheat.
Divide half the amount of kashkaval cheese equally between the plates. Spoon soup and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, place a slice of camembert on each plate and serve immediately.
Courtesy of Tnuva