All posts tagged: cheese

fig salad

Figs, rocket and ‘xinotyri’ salad

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When in Naxos we have more figs than we can handle. Just two fig trees produce such quantities than we do not even have to stretch more than where our arms reach to collect whole baskets. We feel somehow obliged not to waste such glorious fruits and we try to come up with new ways to prepare and preserve them. Two years ago we decided to use them for chutney. I do not remember with how many kilos of dubious fig chutney we ended up. This year we continued to explore. We wanted to combine with other local ingredients. Potatoes, fish and protocyladic art were opted out… but honey and xinotyri    – the local variety of goat cheese – were a hit! We adapted the following salad from Ottolenghi’s ‘The Cookbook’. Serves 4 600g figs ( approximately 8 large figs), washed and cut into quarters 200g xinotyri from Naxos ( or any goat’s cheese of your liking), cut into large chunks 100g rocket leaves (preferably wild) handful of basil leaves 2 Tbsp thyme honey …

kourou cheese pies

Mini “Kourou” Cheese Pies

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In terms of taxonomy ‘tyropita’ (cheese pie) is a family. It has two genera, depending on the type of surrounding dough – kourou or filo. Filo is the thin pastry you can buy, or, if you feel more courageous, prepare by yourself. Kourou dough by default contains yogurt or milk, is thicker, and more straightforward to make. The kourou variety is a common snack that children have in school and overprotective mothers pack for adolescents to have when traveling with boats to summer holidays. Here is our version: Makes about 20 mini cheese pies 300ml extra virgin olive oil 300ml buttermilk, lukewarm 8g dry yeast 580g all purpose flour 1 pinch of salt 250g feta cheese, crumbled 150g anthotiro cheese (or ricotta), crumbled 70g gruyère cheese, grated 1 egg 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp olive oil for glazing sesame or nigella seeds (optional) In a bowl combine the sifted flour and the salt. In another large bowl dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm buttermilk, add the olive …