Savory Mediterranean Biscotti Food

SAVOURY MEDITERRANEAN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar.
• Add olive oil until smooth.
• In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and basil and oregano.
• Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture until blended.
• Stir in cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and olives and combine thoroughly.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces and shape each into a log about 10 inches long.
• Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and flatten tops slightly.
• Bake in preheated 325°F oven for 30 minutes or until pale golden and not quite firm to the touch.
• Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes.
• Transfer to cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch diagonal slices with serrated knife.
• Place pieces on baking sheet and return to 325°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until firm and dry.
• Turn over partway through cooking time.
• Cool on rack.
• Makes about 3 dozen.
• Store in airtight container.

PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.
• Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
• Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

SAVOURY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, 1 tsp salt and a grinding of black pepper in a large bowl, then mix well. Stir in the eggs until the mixture forms clumps, then bring together with your hands into a dough. It will seem dry at first, but keep kneading until no floury patches remain. Add the olives, thyme and parmesan, kneading until they are well distributed.
• Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into four pieces. With lightly floured hands, roll each into a sausage about 30cm long. Place two on each tray, well spaced apart. Put in the oven for 25-30 mins until the dough has risen and spread (it should still be pale). Remove, then cool on a wire rack for a few mins and turn down the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
• Cut into slices about 1cm thick on a sharp diagonal, then lay the slices flat on the baking sheets. Bake for 20 mins more, turn over, then bake for another 20 mins until dry and lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to one month.

SAVORY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, herbes de Provence, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and goat cheese together until smooth. Beat in the sugar and eggs. In batches, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With damp hands, form the dough into a 13-inch-long, 3 1/2-inch-wide loaf. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the loaf to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

SAVORY BISCOTTI WITH OLIVES AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Pre- heat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and parmesan cheese, make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter and milk and start to mix with a fork add the chopped olives and mix until just combined.
• Move the mixture to a lightly floured flat surface and knead gently to combine. Form into two logs about 8 or 9 inches (20-22 cm) long, place on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let sit 3 minutes then cut on the diagonal into 1/4 inch (more or less as desired) slices. Bake again for 10-15 minutes or until dry and hard to the touch. Let cool 2-3 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

SAVORY CHEDDAR BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the eggs and cheese in a food processor and process until yellow and thick, about a minute. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne and pulse three or four times, just to integrate the dry ingredients; you don't want to overwork the gluten in the flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it until it holds together - it may be a bit crumbly at first. Shape the dough into an 8- to 10-inch log, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten.
• Bake until the log begins to color and is firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes, then cut on the bias into half-inch slices. Lay the biscotti flat on the baking sheet and bake until crisp and toasted, 15 minutes; turn and toast the second side for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

SAVORY MEDITERRANEAN BISCUITS

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the first five ingredients (flour through salt). Using a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Next, stir in the cheese, chopped olives, and tomatoes.
• Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and quickly pour 3/4 cup light cream or half and half over it. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead by gently folding and pressing the dough until it's almost smooth. This should take about 10-12 strokes. Be careful not to over-knead as the biscuits will get tough. The dough will still be pretty soft.
• Lightly roll out dough into a 10-inch by 8-inch rectangle, about half an inch in thickness. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares.
• Arrange biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk with the tablespoon of light cream or half and half, then brush the top of each biscuit with this mixture.
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Remove from baking sheet and serve warm with whole Kalamata olives, if you like.