from The Guardian

Great with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

2 aubergine, not the huge ones
250g cottage cheese
1 tbsp chopped dill or marjoram
2 chopped spring onions
salt and pepper
300g plain flour, plus more for rolling
1 tsp salt
25ml olive oil
the leaves from a small bunch flat-leaf parsley
100g cold butter, cut into 1cm cubes
125ml cold water
beaten egg

Prick and bake the aubergines on a tray for an hour at 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas 4. Scrape out the flesh, spoon into a sieve over a bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and drain an hour. Stir in the cheese and dill, and leave to drain again. Make the dough: place the flour and a tsp salt in a bowl, rub in the olive oil, toss in the parsley and cold butter. Add the cold water, coax into a rough dough then chill 30 min. Using extra flour roll to about 40cm by 15cm, fold in by thirds, repeat the roll and fold, then wrap and chill 30 min. Repeat the double roll and fold steps twice more at 30 min intervals. Roll the dough about 1/4 – 1/2 cm thick and cut into 12. Season the filling, discard the liquid, and spoon a little on each pastry square. Seal like pasties, place on a paper-lined tray, brush with egg and bake at 210°C/fan 190°C/410°F/gas 6 1/2 for 30 minutes.

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from The Guardian

You can never have too many grissini in life. These babies could single-handedly boost restaurant cocktail sales. Or, made at home, start the party quicker.

about 300g plain flour
2 tsp fine salt
75g unsalted butter
2 tsp dry instant yeast
75g soft cheese, like chèvre or gorgonzola
150ml warm milk
if you like herbs, 3 tbsp finely chopped, any sort

Place the flour and salt in a bowl, rub in the butter and toss through the yeast. Break the cheese into smallish pieces and mix this with the milk and herbs, if using. Pour this in with the flour and mix to a soft sticky dough. Leave the bowl covered for an hour then lightly knead the dough on an oiled or floured worktop for 10 – 15 seconds, no more. Put the dough in the bowl, cover and leave another hour. Heat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/320°F/gas 2 1/2. Without using flour roll the dough to about 1cm, and cut strips from it with a knife. This way you don’t stress the dough too much as you roll it out with your hands into pencil-like sticks. Lay them on a tray lined with non-stick paper and bake 35 – 40 minutes until golden and crisp.

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from The Guardian

A variation on the Greek pastry galaktoboureko, flavoured with slivers of apricot and rosewater.

400ml milk, any sort
1 large egg
25g semolina
1 heaped tsp cornflour
175g caster sugar
125g dried apricots, cut into slivers
75g butter
200g filo pastry, thawed
flaked almonds
juice of 1/2 lemon
seeds from 3 cardamom pods
1 – 2 tbsp rosewater

In a saucepan whisk the milk, egg, semolina, cornflour and 25g sugar. Bring to the boil, simmer for a mixture then stir in the apricots, spoon onto a dinner plate and leave to cool. Heat the butter in a saucepan until the sizzling slows and it begins to slightly brown then pour into a bowl. Take a sheet of filo and brush lightly with butter, lay another sheet on top, brush again with butter then cut into 12cm wide strips. Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling at the end of one strip, fold edges in to part cover the filling, and roll like a spring roll. Place seam-side down on a tray lined with buttered foil and repeat with the rest. Brush with more butter, scatter with almonds and bake at 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/gas 5 for 25-30 minutes till golden. Boil 75ml water with 150g sugar, lemon juice, and cardamom seeds for a minute then leave till warm. Stir in the rosewater and pour over the rolls. Serve at room temperature.

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from The Guardian

Using Italian 00 flour gives you a much more tender crust than regular bread flour. Strong white flour can be used, but you’ll need to add a dash more water and it won’t have that same mellow texture when you bite into it.

big pinch or two of saffron
350g Italian 00 flour, plus more for rolling
25g unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 small heads of fennel, sliced thinly
1 or 2 small tins anchovies in oil, drained
pitted green olives
sugar, lemon, garlic

Put the saffron in a jug and cover with about 50ml boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes for the colour to bleed then add warm water to make 200ml. rub the flour and 25g butter together in a mixing bowl, add the yeast, salt and saffron water and mix to a soft dough. Cover the bowl and leave two hours, no need to knead. Place the fennel, one tsp each salt and sugar, juice of a lemon, two chopped cloves garlic and 250ml water in a saucepan, bung the lid on and boil for about 20 minutes. Remove lid then simmer gently about 20 minutes until dry, then cool. Roll dough to cover a flour-dusted tray about 20cm x 30cm then leave 30 min to rise. Cover with fennel, criss-cross with anchovies, dot with olives and bake at 240°C/fan 220°C/465°F/gas 9 for 20-25 minutes.

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