30 Years Of La Casa Del Formaggio Contents Fresh Mozzarella5 Antipasto Sliders Mozzarella7 & Spinach Dip in a Cob Loaf Burrata,9 Fig & Prosciutto Salad Mixed Vegetable11 & Barley Salad with Haloumi Tuscan13 Chicken With Bocconcini Lemon,15 Prawn & Mascarpone Risotto Chocolate17 Ricotta Mousse Baked Honey19 Ricotta with Honey-Glazed Walnuts 2 The House of Cheese SINCE 1988 In 1998, Gerardo and Rosa Cicchiello made a life defining decision. They decided they would transition the business from being a successful continental deli into a full-time cheese factory. Over the years, La Casa Del Formaggio has grown and evolved. The challenge is always been, how do we bring premium quality fresh cheese to as many families as we can? As the company that brought Bocconcini to the national supermarket chains and put little tubs of soft white balls of cheese into Australian family refrigerators all over the country, we remain passionate about this quest to this very day. This e-Cookbook has been designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the formation of La Casa Del Formaggio and to help your family explore new ways to use and enjoy our cheese. We have great suggestions for using our Bocconcini, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Mascarpone, Burrata and Haloumi. We want you to enjoy everything that we hold dear about quality. A taste that is milky, with buttery notes due to the rich jersey milk used in our cheesemaking. The texture of our Bocconcini that tears in layers like a cooked chicken breast and displays perfect melt-ability. A joy for the mouth with Bocconcini, Mozzarella and Haloumi that are springy and chewy; Ricotta and Mascarpone that are delicate and rich. “La Casa Del Formaggio” is Italian for “The House of Cheese.” We hope that our passion is evident on the pages of this e-cookbook and that these recipes help you transform our quality cheese into your family memories – “from our home to yours!” 3 Fresh Mozzarella Antipasto Sliders Fresh Mozzarella SERVES: 4 READY IN: 10 MINUTES DIFFICULTY: EASY Antipasto 1. Slice mozzarella balls into three sections. They should Sliders resemble a top and bottom “bun” and a middle slice. 4 x La Casa Del Formaggio Fresh Mozzarella Bags 125g 2. Place the bottom “bun” down on a cutting board. Top with a 50g sun dried tomatoes mix of the antipasto and a fresh basil leaf. Then add the “middle” cheese slice and repeat with the antipasto and basil. Use the top 100g mixed olives, pitted of the “bun” to top off the stack and secure with a toothpick. 50g marinated eggplant 3. Repeat for the next three sliders. fresh basil leaves 4. Sprinkle the tops of the sliders with chia seeds and another small basil leaf. Serve immediately. 4 toothpicks chia seeds, to sprinkle FRESH MOZZARELLA BAG 5 Mozzarella Spinach Dip In a Cob Loaf Mozzarella Spinach Dip SERVES: 6-8 READY IN: 25 MINUTES in a Cob Loaf DIFFICULTY: EASY 200g La Casa Del Formaggio Mozzarella Ball, shredded 1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray 250g La Casa Del Formaggio with baking paper. Mascarpone 1 cob loaf 2. Slice the off top of cob loaf to form lid. Scoop bread from centre olive oil, to sauté of loaf, leaving 1.5cm edge. Tear or roughly chop bread pieces. 1 red onion, diced 3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook 1 garlic clove, minced and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until lightly browned. Add 500g frozen spinach spinach and salami and simmer until spinach is hot. Turn off the 100g salami, diced heat. Discard any excess liquid from the mixture. ¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded 4. Add mascarpone, cheddar cheese and half of the shredded salt and pepper, to taste mozzarella to the mixture; and stir to combine. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. 1 baguette, to serve 5. Pour the mixture into the bread and top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese. 6. Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. 7. Slice baguette for additional dipping bread. Enjoy while hot! MOZZARELLA BALL 7 Burrata, Fig & Prosciutto Salad Burrata, Fig SERVES: 6 READY IN: 10 MINUTES & Prosciutto DIFFICULTY: EASY Salad 1. Remove the Burratas from the fridge, drain the brine and allow 3 x La Casa Del Formaggio them to come to room temperature. Burrata 150g 160g rocket 2. To assemble your salad, scatter the rocket across a large 1 small radicchio serving dish. Add the radicchio across the rocket. 100g prosciutto 3. Tear the prosciutto into strips. Scatter the prosciutto, figs and 4-6 figs, quartered fresh basil across the top of the salad. fresh basil 2 Tbsp honey 4. When you are ready to serve the salad, place the Burratas across freshly cracked black pepper, the platter. Cut into them and spread the filling when the salad to taste is on the table and in front of your guests! 5. Drizzle the platter with honey and season with pepper. Serve immediately. BURRATA 9 Mixed Vegetable & Barley Salad with Haloumi Mixed Vegetable & SERVES: 6 READY IN: 50 MINUTES Barley Salad DIFFICULTY: EASY with Haloumi 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 2. Bring one cup barley and two and a half cups water or broth to a 1 packet La Casa Del boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, covered, until tender and most Formaggio Haloumi of the liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 5 1 cup pearl barley minutes then rinse thoroughly. 1 clove of garlic chilli, finely chopped 3. To make the dressing, combine the garlic, chilli, lemon juice, honey juice of 1 lemon and olive oil, in a screw top jar. Season with salt. Seal and shake to combine. Set aside to allow the flavours to develop. 1 Tbsp of honey 2 Tbsp olive oil 4. While barley is cooking, cut the sweet potato and zucchini into 1 sweet potato bite-size pieces. Lay the sweet potato on a prepared baking tray and toss in olive oil. Bake until they start to soften. Then add the 2 zucchinis zucchini to the tray, add oil, and bake until they are cooked. 1/2 red onion fresh mint leaves 5. Meanwhile, preheat a barbecue grill or char-grill pan on medium pomegranate seeds high. Cut onions into quarters and grill until just cooked. Cut the haloumi into slices 1-centimetre thick. Spray surface and then grill each piece until it gets a nice caramelised grill mark. 6. Spread the cooked barley across a serving platter. Scatter the cooked onion, zucchini and sweet potato across the salad. As haloumi comes off the grill, add to the platter immediately. Scatter with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds. Remove the garlic from the dressing & drizzle generously. Serve while haloumi is hot. HALOUMI 11 Tuscan Chicken with Bocconcini Tuscan SERVES: 6 Chicken with READY IN: 40 MINUTES DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM Bocconcini 1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season 220g La Casa Del Formaggio Cherry Bocconcini the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes each side or until golden brown. Set aside. 1 Tbsp olive oil 6 chicken thigh fillets, bone in, skin on 2. Heat remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook 1 brown onion, diced for 1 minute or until onion softens. Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan along with the passata and simmer. 3 garlic gloves, crushed 1 punnet cherry tomatoes 3. Return the chicken to the pan along with the olives and chopped 700g passata oregano. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 15-20 1 cup pitted kalamata olives minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and sauce 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped, thickens slightly. with some leaves reserved 3 Tbsp basil pesto 4. Add the bocconcini for the last few minutes. Serve drizzled with pesto and a sprinkle of fresh oregano leaves. CHERRY BOCCONCINI 13 Lemon, Prawn & Mascarpone Risotto Lemon, Prawn & SERVES: 6 READY IN: 40 MINUTES Mascarpone DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM Risotto 1. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock and saffron over 125g La Casa Del Formaggio Mascarpone medium-low heat. Cover and keep warm. 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 2. In a large frypan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pinch of saffron shallots and garlic and cook until softened. Add the rice and cook until translucent, for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 shallots, diced 3. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add a ladle-full of stock 2 cloves garlic, crushed at a time and cook until evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the 2 cups Arborio rice last of the stock and the lemon zest, and cook until evaporated. salt and pepper, to taste Add the prawns to heat through. Taste the rice to see if it’s done. 1/2 cup dry white wine If needed, add additional stock and cook for a bit longer. It should 1 lemon, zested and juiced have a bite to it, but be creamy in texture. 250g of cooked prawns 4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and mascarpone to make 2 Tbsp parsley the risotto extra creamy. Season with extra parsley and serve hot. MASCARPONE 15 Chocolate Ricotta Mousse Chocolate SERVES: 4-6 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES Ricotta DIFFICULTY: EASY BEGIN THIS RECIPE A DAY AHEAD Mousse 1. Place the smooth ricotta, double cream, three tablespoons of 2 x 375g La Casa Del Formaggio Smooth Ricotta icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor.