Posts Tagged cheese
London Trip, Part III
Posted by Sarah in Food, Nerd Stuff, Travel on July 14, 2012
Just a few of the foods that caught our eye at Waitrose. 
Sunday morning started off with a cup of tea and a bowl of Shreddies. They’re basically the same as Wheat Chex.
We caught the train at Shepherd’s Bush station and rode over to Earl’s Court so that my lovely assistant could do this:
He doesn’t like how I framed this shot, but he wasn’t the one getting bumped into by pedestrians, so pllllbbbbt.
Cheesy Biscuits
These whole-wheat biscuits are super cheesy. They’re slightly denser than your typical buttermilk biscuit, but they stay soft and moist in the middle and get a nice crust on the outside.
Here are the components:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 lb extra sharp cheddar
Grate the cheese very fine, so you have a nice big fluffy pile. Set it back in the fridge while you’re prepping the other ingredients. This will allow it to melt more slowly in the oven and help keep the biscuits from sticking to the pan.
Preheat your oven to 450°.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Cut in the shortening. You can use a couple of forks, or a pastry cutter, or your hands, but the goal is to incorporate the shortening fully into the flour. You should be able to pick up a handful of the mixture and squeeze it together into a wad and have it stick together loosely.
Now, add in the milk. You should have a fairly thick, not too sticky dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl easily. Now, incorporate the grated cheese. A half pound of cheese is a lot to add into this amount of dough. I’d recommend using your hands to combine it really thoroughly, making an effort to get it evenly spread throughout.
Next, form the dough into evenly-sized balls. I made mine about two inches across, and at that size the dough made sixteen biscuits.
Spread them out on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
The inside of these will feel very soft and squishy, especially when warm, but don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re undercooked – if you bake them too long the outsides will burn, and the middle doesn’t really ever get any firmer. The middle will firm up some as they cool.
Stuffed Pork Chops w/Brie and Chutney
As I’ve mentioned, stuffing is a great way to enhance pork. It can speed up the cooking process, adds flavor, and can prevent drying out.
You’ll need:
- One 1.5″ to 2″ thick pork loin chop for each person you intend to serve
- 2 oz brie (rind removed) or other soft cheese per chop
- 2 tbsp chutney per chop
- Salt to taste
I used the leftover spicy plum chutney from my cheese sampler. Sweet and spicy is great in this application – I’ve used homemade pepper jelly instead of chutney.
Preheat your oven to 450° while you assemble.
First, you’ll want to use a sharp fillet knife to partially butterfly your chops.
If your chops have a thin sliver of fat, make that the bottom. Set the chop on edge – they stand up pretty easily – and slice gently into the top. You’re essentially cutting a wide U shape into the chop, making a pocket. Don’t worry if you cut too far and it falls open! You can prop or tie it shut for cooking.
Once you’ve cut pockets into all of your pork chops, spoon a tablespoon of your chutney into each one. Press the cheese into the pockets and cover with more chutney.
Like so:
You don’t want the chops pressed together too tightly in the dish, but some overlap is fine.
Turn the oven down to 375°. Bake your chops for about 30-40 minutes.
Pick them up carefully with tongs to serve.
Baked Stuffed Shells
These baked stuffed shells are nice and cheesy, and really form a full meal in a single dish.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 12 oz box of jumbo shells (conchiglie)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 lb shredded fontina cheese
- Salt to taste
Cook your shells to al dente, strain, and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking further (and keep them from sticking together). Set them aside.
Press the excess water out of your spinach using a colander and/or paper towels. You want to get as much water out as possible, or your filling will be thin and runny. Mix the spinach thoroughly with the ricotta. Salt to taste.
Set your oven to 375° and let it heat while you stuff each shell with the filling. Place the stuffed shells in a single layer in a baking dish. You may not fill all the shells – I had about 4 left over. The dog was happy to take care of them for me.
Pour the marinara evenly over the shells. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is bubbling.
This makes four servings.
Rolled Pork with Pesto
The other day I bought a beautiful package of fresh mozzarella, with no thought to what I would make with it. After it had been in my fridge for a couple of days, I decided to use it to stuff pork. Filling a split chop or rolling a thin cutlet around a tasty center is a fantastic way to combine flavors and keep pork moist.
You can pound out a piece of pork to make it thin, or slice it carefully if you feel confident. I used a fillet knife to cut two 1/4″ cutlets. Then I sliced two 1/2″ pieces off my nice fresh mozzarella. Using storebought pesto sauce (our local grocery chain sells AMAZING pasta sauces), I rubbed all surfaces of the pork and then rolled the mozzarella slices in the meat.
I baked this at 375° for about 30 minutes, which left the pork slightly rare at the center.
The mozzarella gushes out the sides a bit, and is melty and stretchy and awesome.
That’s all there is to it – simple and delicious. I served it with roasted rosemary potatoes, which I’ll post about tomorrow, and a nice mixed greens salad.
