Spring is a great time to use up all the fresh produce that can be found on farmers markets. Spring onions are one of my favourites since I was a child, and I like using them in as many dishes as possible, while they are available. These biscuits are made with sautéed spring onions and farmer's cheese. Sautéing gives them a slight sweetness and a milder flavour, which pairs great with any meat, but especially with roasted chicken. When choosing the onions, pick the ones with perky leaves, as that signifies they are fresh and will have a better flavour.
Ingredients
2 large fresh spring onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
100 grams farmer's cheese
1 medium egg
1 ½ teaspoon dried yeast
½ teaspoon salt
180 ml hot water
400 grams plain flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the diced spring onions and sauté them for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and fragrant. Remove them from the heat and let them cool down so they don’t start melting the cheese. In a medium bowl, cream together the farmer's cheese and the egg. Sift the flour in a large bowl, take out about 100 grams of it, and set it aside. To the bowl add the yeast and salt, and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and cheese mixture, sautéed spring onions, followed by warm water. Mix it with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes or so, adding the reserved flour as you knead, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks too much, add a tiny bit more flour.
Place the dough in a large clean bowl and let it rise for about an hour, in a warm spot. Take the risen dough out of the bowl and knead it gently on a very lightly floured surface, then roll it out to about 1 cm (½-inch) thickness. Using a 5 cm (2-inch) cookie cutter, cut out biscuits with a clean down and up motion. If you twist it, they won't rise as much. Arrange the biscuits on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them. Cover them with a clean cloth and let them rest and rise for about 30 minutes. Just before baking, brush each biscuit with olive oil and bake them in a preheated oven, at 200˚C (400˚F) for about 15 minutes. Serve them hot from the oven. Yields 25 biscuits.
