Crustless Quiche and bacon

 Served with salad with giant croutons. I also included feta, ricotta, and pizza cheese in the quiche. Also served with puff pastry sticks, instead of making a quiche crust. Fluffier, crustier and less on carbs. Seemed OK. 

Khachapuri (cheese-crammed bread)

 

Dough: 

• 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup water, (though this is not enough, so about 1.5 cups milk/water) 
• 2tsp yeast, 1.5 sugar, 2 olive oil, 1.5 salt 
• 2 cups plain flour plus for kneading 

1 pound of cheese (pizza cheese, fetta, cottage, whatever mix you like) and I chucked in some cubed ham, makes two of the original cheese vaginas. 

You're meant to stuff the crust, roll it into a... well, nice little... and then there's a gap in the middle which you also stuff with cheese, bake, then back into the oven with a finishing off of an egg and knobs of butter in the middle of the... thing. 

HOWEVER, while these were intriguing and pretty tasty, it was all a bit much. So next time I thought we'd just have Pure Stuffed Crust, and forget about the hole in the middle. It makes the dough underneath rather squishy, and also is not really as convenient a place to dip the bread in as it might seem. I will make some equivalent dipping sauce, either with egg like a hollandaise or perhaps with yoghurt, or a spicy salsa type, or a mix of all of the above. It'll be easier to eat and less soggy, as well as cutting down on the excessive cheese. I'll also serve it with something like a very acid side, like olive/roast pepper salad. On this occasion I served it with 'Communist Salad', which was OK but could do with more. Also another salad that provides crunch and leaf, to counteract all the squish. 

Here's communist salad: 

Beetroot, sliced orange, carrot (grated), sesame seeds. Others as wishes. The point is that it's red and tangy. 

Lebanese meat pies (Sfeeha)

 Dough: 

• 1kg all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsps sugar 
• 2 tbsps active dry yeast 
• 1 tbsps salkt 
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil 
• 2+ 1/4 cups whole milk 

Filling: 

• 500g minced lamb 
• 2 small onions, diced 
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon seven spice or allspice 
• chili flakes 
• oil for greasing baking sheets 

Nothing extraordinary for the dough, but for the filling you blend the raw onion with the tomatoes and then mix everything together while raw, straining away any excess liquid. Then add the spices and seasoning. Roll the dough out to 1/2cm thick rounds, fill with filling and make tri-corner hat shapes. Bake at 200c for 12 mins. 

However, we found these too bready, and considered changing the shape. The filling tastes good though. 

Oma's Almond Oat Cookies

 

250g margarine

200g ground almond 

250g icing sugar 

160g oats 

250g flour 

vanilla sugar, almond essence

Mix all of it together, take teaspoon sized dough, place little rounds on baking tray. Bake 15 mins at 200c or until just getting brown. You can use other nuts and brown sugar. 

Oma's Apfeltaschen

 Dough:

• 300g self-raising flour
• vanilla sugar
• 500g farm cheese (or ??? at Coles in a tub) 
• 300g butter or margarine

Place flour, butter and cheese on a board and mix with hands quickly. Roll out and fold over a few times. place in fridge for a while. 

Filling:

• 500g apples
• 100g sugar
• some rum essence
• raisins if liked

Grate apples, mix with the rest, if too much liquid pour some away. Roll out dough 1/4 cm thick, put saucer on dough and cut around it. Put some filling in the centre, fold over dough and press edges hard. Beat an egg yolk and brush apfeltaschen. Bake 15 mins at 200c or until slightly brown. Tastes good still warm!  

Oma's Jammy Chocolate Cookies

 

Oma's Jammy Chocolate Square Cookies

***Note - there is a problem with this recipe, currently trying to ascertain. Don't cook. 

• 1kg self raising flour
• 1/2 kg golden syrup
• 200g sugar 
• 200g margarine 
• Grated orange peel (2 oranges) 
• 1 jar blackcurrant jam 
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp ground almonds 
• 1 tbsp cocoa 
• 2 eggs 
• dark chocolate (-?) 

Heat sugar, syrup, margarine in a small pot. When molten put in large mixing bowl and when only warm mix with the other ingredients. Put on a board and kneed a bit. If sticky put in fridge for a bit. Roll out half with rolling pin and put on baking tray with high edges (you can put the dough in pieces and squash together). Spread jam over it, roll out the rest and place on top. Bake med. heat for 20 mins. When cold spread with molten chocolate. Put in fridge to get firm (if you can) and cut into squares. Keep cookies in fridge. You can also make cookies from this dough and decorate them. Bake 10 mins. 

Oma's Hazelnut Cookies

• 125g syrup
• 50g sugar 
• 50g margarine 
• 50g coffee sugar (big granules) 
• 3 drops lemon essence
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 250g self raising flour
• 250g hazelnuts (halved) 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• dark molten chocolate 

Warm first three ingredients in a small pot until sugar is dissolved. Nearly cold (just warm) add coffee sugar, spices and 2/3 of the flour. Put on a board and knead in the rest of the flour. Roll out 1/2 cm thick, cut out squares and press on 2 pieces of hazelnut (hazelnut halves put in bowl with the milk). Bake 10 mins (medium heat) when cold drizzle with molten chocolate.