Top 5 – Cheese & Produce combinations

I love cheese, I love it’s varied forms, it’s texture and its saltiness, but most of all I love the way it combines with vegetables and herbs.  I use cheese a lot; I would probably eat cheese in some form every other day, sometimes more often, and I usually eat it with something from the garden.   Now I have to admit I do struggle with strong cheeses, I don’t particularly like blue or the French farmhouse style cheeses so this list is pretty heavy on the southern European styles.  Which means there’s plenty of scope for you to tell me what I’m missing out on, and I hope you will do just that.  For me though you can’t go past the following combinations:

Beetroot & Feta – The sweetness of the beetroot works brilliantly with the saltiness of the feta.  A great combination – especially if you throw in some mint for good measure.

Chilli & Cheddar – A water cracker, some chilli jam and a bit of strong cheddar – the perfect combination in my world.

 Spinach or Silver beet & Ricotta – I love silver beet and ricotta cannelloni, I love spinach and ricotta pastries, I love silver beet and ricotta gnocchi, and I love spinach and ricotta ravioli.  In a nutshell I love silver beet (or spinach) cooked with ricotta.

Basil & Parmesan – Parmesan goes well with a lot of vegetables; tomatoes, peas and eggplant in particular spring to mind, but for me it has to be basil and Parmesan.  Pesto – Yum!

Tomato & Mozzarella – I love a simple tricolour salad for lunch; avocado, tomato and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil.  Can’t get any better!  Actually it could if the quality of Mozzarella was better in Australia (if you know of a decent one then I will be most appreciative) but that’s a whole other story again.

And a special mention goes to: Dill & Cream Cheese – when I feel like a really decadent lunch I’ll mix some dill through some cream cheese, spread it on some sour dough and top with smoked salmon.  Yum!

So before you head over to The New Goodlife to check out her Top 5 this week let me know your favourite garden produce and cheese combinations – if it becomes a new favourite I shall be eternally grateful.