Cheese: The Christmas Comfort the World Needs
I’ll be home for Christmas…and so will the rest of the world. And for the foreseeable future too.
Holidays under lockdown means sharing photos and videos to stay connected will be more important than ever; this means our dishes and drinks need to be picture-perfect! And what’s more Instagrammable than cheeseboards inspired by holiday movies!
Food stylist and founder of Playing W/Food, Abe Wornovitzky channelled his artistry into creating festive cheeseboards inspired by three of the most beloved holiday films: The Grinch, Frosty, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Using a variety of cheese types from Castello including tangy tickler, creamy brie and smooth blue, Abe artfully shaped them to set the festive scene, creating edible masterpieces that are a joy to make, and eat!
But, alas, reduced gatherings don’t necessarily mean reduced stress. Tre Stelle developed some cheesy cheats and merry makeovers to keep holiday entertaining (within our bubble, of course) stress-free and us poor locked-down souls full of good cheese…er…cheer!
Stuffing-spiced Mac n’ Cheese
Case in point: A beloved favourite, mac and cheese, but with a festive makeover with the addition of sage, onion, and celery to create a stuffing-spiced merry mac n’ cheese.
Ingredients
1lb /454g pasta
Olive Oil
1 medium onion finely diced
1 stick celery finely diced
1-941ml /1 litre container chicken or vegetable stock (reduced sodium is ideal or homemade turkey stock would be wonderful here too)
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried sage –plus 1 teaspoon of freshly chopped sage for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup diced sundried tomato
1-200g package Tre Stelle shredded cheddar mozzarella blend
1 cup finely grated Tre Stelle Parmigiano Reggiano
½ cup roughly chopped green onions
Directions
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large pot and, over medium heat, sauté diced onion and celery for 5-7 minutes until transparent, avoid any browning. Add uncooked pasta to the onion and celery mixture and cover with stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Stir constantly for about 8 minutes until nearly all the stock has evaporated, and the pasta is almost cooked ‘al dente’. If the pasta is firm before most of the stock evaporates add ½ cup more water and continue simmering and stirring. When desired tenderness is reached, do NOT drain the pasta. The leftover starchy water will help to emulsify making a nice, creamy sauce. Pour in the can of evaporated milk and return to a near-boil. Add the sage and sundried tomato and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Continue stirring until everything is combined. Scatter the top with grated Parmigiano. Put the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes to melt the cheese to a golden brown. Remove, scatter with finely chopped green onions and remaining chopped fresh sage leaves (if using) and serve right from the pan.
Merry Marinated Mozzarella
Malls closed? No matter. The best gifts come from the kitchen - and what could be better than a festive jar jam-packed with indulgent nuggets of mozzarella marinading in savoury spices - and festive colours to boot! Direct from the pages of Tre Stelle’s 60th Anniversary Cookbook, this commemorative cookbook is the perfect gift for every cheese lover on the nice list - and every lactose intolerant on the naughty list.
INGREDIENTS
1 340-g ball Tre Stelle Mozzarella
6 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 200-g tub Tre Stelle Bocconcini Pearls 6 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 tsp fresh basil, finely sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Toasted baguette slices for serving
DIRECTIONS
Cut the mozzarella into small pieces. Cut half the sun-dried tomatoes into slivers, and roughly chop the other half.
In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, Bocconcini pearls, oil, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours or longer. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon into festive decorative jars, tie with a ribbon and keep refrigerated until ready to gift