Manchego Chive Bites
One of Spain’s regional heroes (and probably it’s most recognized cheese) is Manchego: a deliciously tangy sheep’s milk cheese with a recognizable herringbone skin. If you have never sampled Manchego cheese on its own, I highly recommend you do. Then pair it with something a little sweet, like membrillo (quince paste). The salty-sweet combination is a mouth party! I will also recommend making these little cheese bites – crispy and warm tossed in a little Maldon sea salt that has been flavoured with smoked paprika. They're highly addictive — I’ll even admit to eating them cold.
In a mortar and pestle, gently grind the salt with the smoked paprika. Set aside.
Mix the grated cheese and chives together in a separate bowl and set aside.
Place the water and butter in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring to melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. Return the pot to the heat and continue to beat with the wooden spoon for approximately 5 minutes (a film will begin to develop on the base of the pot).
Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the grated cheese and chopped chives and beat to combine.
Using a tablespoon as your measure, drop tablespoons of the mixture on a baking tray that has been dusted with a little plain flour. They do not have to be uniform in shape – the more rustic-looking the better.
Pour 2 – 4 cups of vegetable oil into a wok or deep pot and heat to approximately 200°C (390°F). The oil will begin to shimmer. Test a little of the dough in the oil to make sure it is hot.
Carefully drop the cheesy bites into the hot oil and fry until golden. You may need to flip them over with a spoon to get both sides golden. Remove the bites from the oil and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with the smoked paprika salt while still warm.
Andrea Stewart
It’s not surprising that three of Andrea Stewart’s favourite foods are bread, butter and champagne, since her approach to all things culinary has always been pure and simple. This experienced, creative and enterprising chef and editor approaches cooking and eating with a solid appreciation for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Andrea’s journey with food began while living in France, working as an au pair for Grace Jones. While feeding the young offspring of the famous singer, she was tempted on a daily basis by the busy, colourful French food markets. Later on, she spent a summer at Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier and fell in love all over again with everything France had to offer. Upon returning to Canada, she was accepted at the acclaimed Stratford Chefs School and after completing her first year she headed to New York to further sharpen her skills, working alongside some of the finest (including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto) and catering Martha Stewart’s executive meetings. Andrea returned to Toronto in 1996, and further immersed herself in her career, working at some of the city’s top food fixtures, including Mildred Pierce and Ace Bakery. She eventually took a side-step out of the kitchen and into the halls of magazine publishing, landing a position as Food Editor of Wish Magazine in 2004. While inspiring busy Canadian wonder-women to cook from scratch, she published her first cookbook, Wish, Market to Table. From street food to fine dining to unfamiliar grocery stores, food still motivates Andrea at every turn. She recently sold everything but a prized collection of cookbooks and moved to the U.K., where her culinary library spans the two floors of her London flat. She won’t rest until she has cooked from every one of them!