AUSTR ALIA’SSHORTHISTORYof
specialistcheesehasinvolvedthe
incorporationofmanyglobalrecipes– and
oftentimesa tweaktoincludesomelocal
ingredients,too.Thishasresultedin some
world-classcheeses,includingoneofour
favourites:marinatedcheesecurd.
Theideacamefromcheesemaker
RichardThomaswhocreateda freshcurd
cheese,emulsifiedwithoil,garlic,black
peppercornsandthyme.Thismethodof
preservingfreshcurdin oilwas inspired by
ancientcheesemaking.
Freshcheesecurdin oilis nowa staple
in manyhouseholds,bothin Australiaand
increasinglyin othercountries,too.When
askedwhyhethinksit’ssopopular,
Thomassays,“Ittastesfreshandbloody
deliciousandgoeswithalmostanything.”
Wecan’tdisagreewiththat!
TocelebrateEaster,we’reshowcasinga
spanakopita-stylerecipethatis superfun
tomakeandfeaturesa unique Aussie
all-star curd-in-oil cheese.AUSSIESPANAKOPITA
SERVES 4-61 buncheachEnglishspinachandkale,
stalksremoved,leavesfinelychopped
320g Australian marinated curd (we usedcoolenoughtohandle.Placein a cleantea
towelandsqueezeoutexcess water.
Transfertoa largebowl.
Heatremaining2 tbsreservedoilin a
largefrypanovermediumheat.Addlong
greenshallotandgarlic.Cookfor2-3
minutesuntilshallothassoftened.Cool
slightlythentransfertospinachmixture.
Addzest,eggs,curd,capsicum,paprika
anddill.Seasontotasteandstirto
combine.Dividemixtureinto5 portions.
Lay4 sheetsoffiloona cleanwork
surface.Brush3 sheetswithbutterand
stackthe4 sheetstogether.Place
1 portionofthemixtureonshortedgeof
pastry,around2cmfromtheedgeand
shapeinto2cm-thicklog.Placein
preparedtrayandbrushwithmelted
butter.Repeatwith the remaining sheets
andmixture.
Sprinklewithblacksesameseedsand
bakefor35-45minutesuntilgoldenand
crispy.Coolona wirerackfor 15 minutes
before serving. Serve with tomato relish.YarraValleyPersianfetain oil),drained,
crumbled,plus4 tbsreservedoil
3 longgreenshallots,thinly sliced
3 garliccloves,crushed
Finelygratedzestof1 lemon
3 largeeggs,lightlybeaten
1 roastedredcapsicum, roughly chopped(^1) / 2 tsphotpaprika
(^1) / 4 bunchdill,finelychopped
20 sheetsfilopastry
Unsaltedbutter,melted,tobrush
Blacksesameseeds,toscatter
Tomato relish, to serve
Preheattheovento200°C.Greasea 20cm
x 30cmx 3.5cmrectangularbakingtray.
Combinespinachandkalein a large
colanderandtosswith^1 / 2 tspsaltflakes.
Standfor 20 minutesoruntiljustsoftened.
Rinseundercoldrunningwateranddrain.
Heat2 tbsofreservedoilin a large
frypanovermediumheat.Addspinach
andkale,andcook,stirringoccasionally,
for 6-8 minutes until wilted. Stand until PHOTOGRAPHY
BRETT
STEVENS
STYLING
KIRSTEN JENKINS
MERCHANDISING
EMMALY STEWART
OIL
that’s perfect for the Easter table.
42 delicious.com.au