Goat Milk

While there are many regional iterations, the Khachapuri is probably the most familiar to Americans. Cheese blend and egg bake in the center, it is thought to evoke a boat, the ocean, and the sun, testament to the Ajarki region on the Black Sea.

Ajarski Khachapuri is a boat-shaped Georgian bread with a cheese-stuffed crust and an egg baked into the center. It’s only a matter of time before this fun bread is delivered to every home for pizza night and ordered from every brunch menu the morning after. This versatile bread takes a little finesse, but the payoff is well worth it; after all, what more could you want other than cheesy, soft, chewy bread dipped in runny yolk and molten cheese?

The recipe requires 30 mins Preparation time, 1hr 25 mins Cooking time, Serves 4

Ingredients:

Dough:

• ½ cup warm milk
• ? cup warm water
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 ½ teaspoons white sugar
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed, for dusting
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Cheese Blend:

• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

Filling:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pats
• sea salt to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste (Optional)

Directions:

• Make dough: Combine milk, water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast forms a creamy foam, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups flour, olive oil, and salt; mix until a sticky dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for about 3 minutes, adding in remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed, until dough is very soft but still workable. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• While dough rises, prepare cheese blend: Toss together feta, Monterey Jack, and mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl. Refrigerate cheese mixture until needed.
• Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Flatten slightly and cut in half. Place 1 dough half on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick.
• Arrange 1/4 of the cheese mixture in 2 rows, 1 to 2 inches from the longest sides. Roll sides up tightly over cheese, forming a canoe shape. Pinch and twist ends to seal. Trim excess parchment and lift dough onto a baking sheet. Shape and stuff remaining dough half. Fill canoes with remaining cheese mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Form a well in the center of each khachapuri using a spoon; crack an egg inside each well.
• Return to the oven and bake until eggs are mostly set, 3 to 4 minutes. Place 2 pats butter over each egg, then sprinkle with salt and cayenne. Plate khachapuri; tear off one end and use it to stir butter into egg.

 

*Notes:

You can use 1 pound of any cheese blend, but feta adds a welcome tangy flavor.

You can substitute 1 1/8 teaspoons fine salt for the kosher salt.

 

 

Treat yourself to a Persian feast with this chorizo and goats’ cheese filo pie.

This wonderful combination of smoky, spiced chorizo and cumin-spiked, creamy goat’s cheese is a winner. Nigella seeds are used all around the world but are originally from Southern Asia. Widely used in Indian and Middle Eastern cookery, they have a bitter and peppery taste and are often used in savoury breads.

Chorizo really is such a fantastic ingredient and its capability to deliver bags of flavour to anything it comes into contact with always makes it a crowd-pleaser.

The recipe requires less than 30 mins Preparation time, 1 to 2 hours Cooking time, Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds (toasted)
• 2 x 200g/7oz cured chorizo sausages (not cooking chorizo), skinned and cut into chunks
• 350g/12fl oz rindless soft goats’ cheese, broken into pieces
• vegetable oil, for oiling
• 6 sheets filo pastry (each about 48 x 25cm/19 x10in)
• 1 tbsp full-fat milk or water
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze
• 1 tsp nigella seeds

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Dry fry the cumin seeds in a frying pan until aromatic. Remove from the heat.
• Put the chunks of chorizo into a food processor and process until they are minced as finely as possible. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the cooled cumin seeds and goats’ cheese and mix together until evenly combined.
• Brush the base of a 24cm/9½in round ovenproof dish or cake tin with a little vegetable oil. Lay a pastry sheet lengthways in the dish or tin with the ends overhanging the sides, then lay another pastry sheet widthways in the same way.
• Divide the chorizo filling in half. Add one half to the filo base and smooth it right to the edges to cover the base evenly.
• Fold another pastry sheet in half to create a double thickness and lay it over the filling, then repeat with a second pastry sheet to form a thick pastry layer.
• Brush the pastry with the milk or water, then top with the remaining filling, pushing and patting it into place to evenly coat the pastry layer. Fold the overhanging pastry into the centre, then gently crumple up the remaining 2 pastry sheets and arrange them on top.
• Brush all the exposed pastry and edges with beaten egg and sprinkle over the nigella seeds. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until deep golden-brown. Serve the borek immediately.

 

Want something special for Sunday lunch?

As days get brighter, celebrate the new season with a lamb dish full of the flavours of Spring. This marinated lamb is full of flavour and perfect with salsa verde.

The recipe requires less than 30 mins Preparation time, 30 mins to 1 hour Cooking time, Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 x French trimmed lamb racks (6-8 chops in each), chine bone removed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest and juice
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 2 tbsp oil

For the salsa verde

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• small bunch flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
• small bunch basil leaves, finely chopped
• 8 anchovies, finely chopped
• 75g/2¾oz dill pickle cucumbers, finely chopped (you can also use gherkins)
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions:

• Trim any excess skin from the lamb and score the fat using a sharp knife. Put the garlic, lemon zest (reserve the juice for the salsa verde), honey and oil in a large bowl and mix. Add the lamb and rub in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7
• Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, put the lamb fat-side down into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes or until the fat is dark golden-brown. Transfer to a roasting tin, browned side up and bones facing the centre.
• Roast for 18–20 minutes, cover with aluminium foil and rest for 15 minutes.
• For the salsa verde, mix all the ingredients and the reserved lemon juice together in a bowl and season with little salt and pepper. Gently warm the salsa before serving.
• Carve the lamb to divide it into chops. Serve two chops per person with the salsa verde alongside.

*Recipe Tips – The lamb can be marinated up to a day ahead. The salsa can be made up to 3 days ahead, in fact the flavour increase the longer it is left.