Cheese

Did you know that...

Mice do not love cheese. Contrary to the popular myth, mice prefer sugar sweetened treats such as fruits and grains. Make sure you love your cheese, knowing how to buy, store and cook it and become a zero food waste hero.

Buy

Find a good cheese shop that sells whole cheeses and will cut a wedge from the weel.
Buy just enough.
Hard cheese will last the longest.

Store

Wrap in a parchment of waxed paper or a beeswax wrap, then in a plastic bag or container in your fridge cheese drawer.
Grated cheese can go into the freezer.
You can cut blue or green mould away on hard cheeses, but when you see yellow or ink spots on soft cheese or ammonia smell, it should be wholly discarded.

Cook

Leftover cheesy shortbreads

Makes up to 50-60 shortbreads

These savoury shortbreads are dangerously addictive. A delicious way to use up leftover bits of cheese after a cheese-heavy celebration or cooking adventure! Great with a cheese board and nibbles, or on their own with drinks.

Steps

Leftover cheesy shortbreads step 1

Step 1: Combine ½ cup cold butter, 1 cup leftover hard cheese (like cheddar or parmesan), 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ finely ground nuts, dash of spicy sauce, salt and pepper.

Leftover cheesy shortbreads step 2

Step 2: Use your hands to form a firm dough.

Leftover cheesy shortbreads step 3

Step 3: Dump the dough onto a sheet of baking paper, form it into a log that is 5 cm in diameter, and roll up in the parchment or plastic wrap, twisting the ends to enclose. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.

Leftover cheesy shortbreads step 4

Step 4: Finely slice the roll of dough and lay the slices on the baking sheet.

Leftover cheesy shortbreads step 5

Step 5: Bake at 170°C in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the short bread begins to colour around the edges.

Leftover cheesy shortbreads hero

Enjoy them with easy fermented raw tomato sauce.

Storage

Once cooled, store in an airtight container for 5-10 days.

Zero waste tip

If for some reason you manage to resist eating them all before they become less crisp or stale, simply pop them in a preheated oven on 170°C for 3-5 mins or so to crisp them back up.

Reference

Recipe from Chavich, Cinda (2015). The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook: Save Food, Save Money, and Save the Planet. Cheesy Shortbreads, pp. 174