Olive and Rosemary Crackers

For the past one week I’ve been scouting the supermarkets for rosemary. They’ve got everything else- thyme, parsley, basil, marjoram, chives; but no rosemary. Either it’s out of stock or its too dead to be used. I’ve got a list of things that I want to make that require rosemary and these crackers were on top of the list ever since I saw them on Kelly’s blog.

Yesterday, I finally got my hands on some fresh rosemary and made these the first thing in the morning today. I added chopped olives and garlic to the dough for some extra pizzazz. As I put together the ingredients; I was smiling to myself about the quantity of garlic I should add. I love to add a little garlic whenever I can; and with olive oil and rosemary, it would only make an unbeatable combination of flavours.

Since Kelly mentioned that her rolled dough didn’t keep together very well, I rolled it out on the Silpat itself. Sprinkled it with my new fancy Himalayan pink salt and let it bake for about ten minutes. 

I popped a few in my mouth as soon as they were out of the oven and oh my goodness gracious! These were amazing – salty, cheesy, herby with tiny surprises of garlic. They were gobbled down in no time. Didn’t feel the need for a dip. My dad is already asking when I’m making them again, because these were too few! While Mr. Bittman suggests these will serve 4, I disagree. If you are a fan of all these flavours it’s better you double the recipe!

1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tbsp black olives, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed

1 Tablespoon milk, if required

Pink Himalayan salt or your favourite topping – coarsely ground pepper, sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. Put flour, salt, cheese, rosemary, olives, garlic and olive oil in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and olive oil create little crumbs. In case you don’t have a food processor, simply whisk all the dry ingredients together first. Then add the oil and using a fork or a pastry blender mix till they look like coarse crumbs.
3. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit. If the dough is still a little dry after pouring in the cream, add a little milk. Alternatively (without the food processor), pour the cream into the dough mixture and combine it into the dough with your hands..
4. Roll out dough on the Silpat or the baking sheet until 1/4-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed.
5. Score lightly with a sharp knife or a pastry wheel to break crackers into squares or rectangles later on. Sprinkle with the salt or topping of your choice.
6. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature.