Tikachu's Kitchen

Cheese, cheese, cheese! Unless you’re lactose-intolerant or non-dairy vegetarian, who will deny their obsession towards this wonderful dairy produce? It is the perfect addition to bakery, salad, and pasta-based cuisines. There are hundreds of types of cheese currently available, some of them are considered exotic and can only be manufactured in certain regions, while others are available at the minimart. In my spare time, I present you the basic knowledge of selecting the right type of cheese for the right type of cuisine!

It is easily the most widely used, multi-purpose cheese throughout the world. Cheddar originates from cow’s milk and derives its name from the English village of Cheddar. It is usually pale yellowish and available at minimart in chunks or sheets. Cheddar cheese is usually mild tasting, but some may have sharper, saltier taste depending on the length of its fermentation. It is also one of the cheapest cheese available in the market. It is commonly used as a companion to breads and pastries, cookies and brownies as well as hamburgers.  

Blue cheese is easily recognized by its bluish/greenish mold color. It is a unique cheese due to its original method of manufacturing, which involves storing cow milk and/or goat milk in a moldy cave for months. It is considered the best cheese in the world, and the flavor is tangy and strong. It has some distinctive sub-types depending on their place of origin, such as Gorgonzola from Italty, Roquefort from France and Stilton from English. Blue cheese can be eaten by itself with red wine, crumbled into salad, as a filling for omelettes or as garnish for martini. It can also be melted onto grilled lamb to enhance its flavor.

 

The oldest cheese in the world dated back to the ancient Greece civilization, Feta cheese has a soft, mushy consistency with grainy texture, and is usually made from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is white, a bit sour and strong in aroma, and is available in blocks. Standard feta cheese is aged for two months, and can be eaten natural with olive oil and oregano, as filling for pie or crumbled and mixed into classic Greek Salad dish.

It is probably the most familiar-looking of all cheese due to its popular depiction in cartoons and comic strips. Swiss Cheese is distinguishable by holes produced during its aging, as a result of carbon dioxide bubbles. What most people don’t know is, that those holes are known in the culinary world as ‘eyes’. Although it originated from Switzerland, Swiss Cheese is widely manufactured in England, France and Germany.

Gouda originates from the Netherlands, and was named after the city Gouda. It is made from cultured cow milk heated until the curds separate from the whey, creating a sweeter-tasting cheese. The cheese is then soaked in brine solution to enhance its flavor and dried out for a few days before coated with wax. It has a caramel-like taste and comes in a disc-shaped form, giving it the title ‘golden wheel’. Gouda is used to season hot or cold salad, with casserole, or simply eaten naturally with white wine. The smoked/flavoured version of Gouda Cheese makes a lovely flavor enhancer for burgers and pasta cuisines.

Mozarella is a very popular Italian cheese used on pizzas, bruschettas and pastas alike. It is derived from the Italian verb ‘mozzare’, meaning ‘to cut’, due to its spinning-cutting method of packaging. Mozarella is generally white to pale yellow in colour, and is made from cow milk, water buffalo milk or skimmed milk. It has a very thick consistency and is known for its stickiness. It is best served melted.

After knowing your cheese, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test and create an awesome cheese-infused cuisine. Happy experimenting!

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry

1 ½ tablespoon of unsalted white butter

80 grams of mixed mushrooms, chopped

1 smashed garlic clove

1 tablespoon of dry white wine

Fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of oregano

2 table spoons of crème fraîche

Salt and pepper

This smoothie does not only have high antioxidant contents, but also fiber which will help your digestive system and calcium!

1 cup of fresh, unsweetened milk

1 banana

1 cup of sweet cherries

2 tablespoon of brown sugar

3 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup of plain, hi-calcium low-calorie yoghurt

Blend milk with cocoa powder, and then add banana and cherries and yoghurt. Make sure all ingredients are mixed well and creamy. Pour into glasses, garnish with cocoa powder and cherry

Calories: 393 kcal, Protein: 35 g, Carbohydrate: 56 g, fat 10 g, fibre 3 g, salt 0.96 g

450 g of potatoes, peeled and cut into french fries size

3 tbsp of olive oil

2 white fish fillet @140 g each.

Grated zest and 1 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp of capers, chopped

2 tbsp of yogurt

1 tbsp of grated mozarella cheese

Parsley leaves for garnish

Lemon wedge to serve

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, toss the potatoes and sautee until brown and crisp, then take it out.  

Next, put in the fish to the pan and fry it one-sidedly for 10 minutes, while occasionally shaking it to avoid stickiness.

Sprinkle the fish with half lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add parsley and lemon zest too.

Mix the capers, yogurt, grated mozarella cheese, minced parsley and lemon juice. 1 serving equals 1 spoonful of sauce.

I believe that soup is a healthy and perfect way to lift those appetites before the main course! Nothing beats a fine dining with low-fat hi-nutrition soup entrée!

Servings: 6

1 garlic

2 medium-sized leeks, chopped to finesse

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

5-6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

2 ½ pounds of potatoes, peeled and diced

1/3 cup of sour cream

A pinch of salt and black pepper

Rinse the garlic, peel and mince.

Melt the butter in a pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add leeks and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add minced garlic, broth, bay leaves and salt. Reduce heat and simmer for around 30 minutes.

Add potatoes and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes more.

Dispose of the bay leaves. Add sour cream and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Mash some of the potatoes and let it mix with the soup to give it more consistency. Add black pepper.

Serve on a soup bowl with bruschetta or pieces of french bread! Garnish with mint leaves or basil :D