Olive Tapenade

For all the olive lovers out there... This is an amazing spread!! It gets together literally in 5min and lasts in the fridge for days. It's super duper delicious, and oh so satisfying!!!

Couple of weeks ago I went to London for lunch with some friends. They served this on a sharing platter with some warm bread and it was divine.

So when I got back home I decided to whip up my own version... And yeah, now I can't get enough :-)  You can use green or black olives, I opted for green here because that happened to be in the fridge, but a black tapenade is just as yummy!

The Simple Bread Roll

I know I haven't been blogging for a little, but in between a wedding, new job and a bunch of other friends' and family celebrations to attend, I put my blog on the back burner...

So on this warm, autumnal Sunday I got the craving for some home made, soft rolls and I thought... Why not share the recipe?

The fact that these rolls are made without any eggs, milk and butter makes me rave even more about them. They are super light, soft and you can use them for pretty much anything...

Sandwiches, burgers, sausage rolls, gravy rolls...

Now you have endless possibilities to get creative here. You can either leave them plain or you can jazz them up a little bit. Right before you bake them you can brush them with olive oil and sprinkle whatever your heart desires:
sesame seeds, poppy

seeds, rock salt, salt and pepper, dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, basil... Really anything. I went with Italian seasoning blend.

Makes 12

Ingredients:

- 1 packet of active dry yeast
- 2tbs sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- 1tsp salt
- 4 cups plain flour

Process:

- In a bowl, add the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let it sit for about 5min or until bubbles start to form.
- Add the oil and salt and give it a stir. Start adding the flour little by little, while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. You should end up with a non-sticky dough, so you might have to add or subtract a few tablespoons of flour. Knead for about 5min. I used my mum's technique, throwing the dough in the air 100 times and let it fall on the surface :-)
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and put it aside for 1h so it can double in size.
- Then lay it on a lightly floured surface, punch the air out and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Form them into balls and put them on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about an inch in between.
- Lightly cover the rolls with greased cling film and let them rise for 45min. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle your topping of choice (this step is optional).
- Preheat the oven to 200 C degrees. Bake for 12-14 min or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Brisket Biscuit Sliders

Oh how I love weekends!! It's always so much fun to think of a nice dinner idea, have the house smell like heaven and indulge like never before...
Well, this weekend it was time for my Brisket Biscuit Sliders!! Yep, I know... It sounds amazing :-) And the best thing is that it's super easy to put this together. I cooked my brisket in a slow cooker, but you can also do this in the oven. So, let's roll!

Pillow Soft Bread Rolls

I was getting ready for a dinner party when I figured regular bread from the bakery was getting a little boring. So I decided to make some bread rolls, and I all I can say is: this was such a great idea!! Soft, buttery and delicious... They also make great sandwiches, so you really can't go wrong with this recipe :-)

Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:

- 500g flour
- 1 package yeast (2 1/4tbs)
- 2tbs sugar
- 2tsp salt
- 250g milk
- 3tbs butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1tbs melted butter, keep it till the end for glazing

Process:

- Melt the butter and milk together until warm, don't boil them. Put the mix in a big bowl, add the yeast and let it stand for 5min.
- To this mixture add flour, sugar, salt, egg and mix together until it becomes a dough.
- Place the dough on a generously floured surface, knead for 1 minute, form it in a big ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it tightly and let it sit somewhere warm for an hour to double in size.
- Place it on a floured surface again, spread it a little with your hands and cut it into 12 pieces.
- Shape them into rolls and place them on a greased baking sheet. Make sure you leave some space between them, so they can rise.
- Cover them with a towel and let them stand for another hour to double in size.
- Preheat your oven to 190 C degrees. Bake the rolls for about 20min or until golden brown.
- Glaze them with the melted butter and enjoy!

Mozzarella in carrozza

Mozzarella in carrozza is nothing different from the regular grilled cheese sandwich... However, with a few little differences it tastes much more wholesome.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 4 slices of bread
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbs flour
- 8 mozzarella slices
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Put the flour and eggs in two separate plates.
- Put the oil in a skillet and turn to medium high.
- Lay the mozzarella slices on 2 slices of bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Top with the remaining bread slices.
- Dip the sandwich in the flour.
- Then dip it in the egg mix.
- Place in the sandwich in the skillet and fry for 2-3 min on each side.
- Let it cool for a few minutes and enjoy!