Ottolenghi's Cheddar Caraway cheese straws..

I was so excited yesterday when I went to one of the biggest bookstores in Kuwait to find something surprising, they actually do carry some new modern books on cooking ! & to add to my astonishment , I found THE book that I was looking for , and worried that amazon.com would cost me lots of money on shipping , as its one heavy book .. ok not so heavy but it would cost a fortune on shipping.

The Ottolenghi CookBook!! I loved everything in it.. from the detailed photos that capture the atmosphere of the resturant in London , to the ingredients preffered by the chefs , then to know a little about their lives and how they were born in the same place , few kilometeres apart , same year , yet the Israeli/Palestinian war is what seperated them.. one comes from the arab side , the other comes from the israeli side , and all met in London .. their book is filled with unfussy simple food preperations ..their main philosophy is to engage fresh food into everyday life.. that philosophy is what caught my attention..


so from their book , I chose to make a nice snack , tasty and homey.. makes my kitchen filled with aromas I never experienced before..

Cheddar and Caraway Cheese Straws

will need :

plain flour for dusting

300g puff pastry

1 free range egg , lightly beaten

100g stron cheddar cheese , finely grated

1 tsp caraway seeds

1. dust a work surface lightly with flour and roll out the pastry to a rectangle 2-3mm thick. trim the edges with a sharp knife in order to get a perfect rectangle, roughly 30 x 20 cm . place on a baking sheet dusted with flour and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. return the pastry sheet to the dusted work surface. Brush off any flour and tthen brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle over half the cheese. Press the cheese down lightly with your hands so it sticks to the pastry. Be brisk so that you dont warm up the butter in the pastry. Carefully turn the pastry over , brush off any excess flour and repeat this process on the other side.

3. now cut the strips about 3cm wide across the width of the pastry. pick up a strip holding one end in each hand. Place one end on the work surface and hold still. Twist the other end on the work surface to make a tight spiral form . You will need to pull as you twist.

4. carefully transfer the straws to a baking sheet lined with baking parchement . Space them at least 3cm apart and sprinkle with the caraway seeds. Rest them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5. Pre heat the oven to 180c . Place the tray of cheese straws in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes . Make sure you do not open the oven door for the first 15 minutes. When ready , the straws should be a beautiful light brown color. Let them cool slightly before serving.

photos via Madame Sucre