Basil paste

I came across this recipe while looking for an alternative breakfast recipes. This paste sounded really perfect to me - something new, quick and easy to make. And - believe me, it tastes really, really good - some of you may know flavoured butters (smaksełko? ;) ) - they were extremely popular some time ago and very tasty, though I can't find it in any shop, can you? This is not a butter, as it is made of cottage cheese. Though I'm sure it would be same delicious as a butter! It is perfect for example with: fresh, hot bread/rolls, with cold meats, tomatoes, for brushetta, ciabatta bread... :)

Recipe, slightly changed, comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 250g of cottage cheese (low-, semi- or full-fat)
• a bunch of fresh basil
• 1/2-1 clove of garlic
• 8 tablespoons of oil 
• 1 teaspoon of black ground pepper
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sichuan pepper

Preparation:

1. Put the cheese in a bowl, add spices (black pepper, salt, sichuan pepper). 
2. Take a blender and its bowl (or any bowl suitable for blending), put basil, garlic and oil inside, blend till smooth (or almost smooth). 
3. Mix basil paste with cottage cheese, blend till smooth.
4. Store closed in the fridge.
5. Bon Appetit! :)

Home-made bread with thick, crunchy skin

A very tasty bread and a very good recipe. I guess it is impossible to fail... :) The only disadvantage is time, which is why it is good to prepare the dough in the evening and bake it the next day, in the afternoon/evening.

Recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 300 g of flour
• 100 g of wholemeal flour
• 1,5 teaspoon of salt
• 20 g of fresh yeast (or 1 teaspoon of instant yeast)
• 300 g of cold water

Optional ingredients:

• wholemeal flour or bran or poppy to sprinkle the top of the bread
• a handful of pumpkin or other seeds to 'upgrade' the bread :) 

Preparation:

1. Put the flour in a big bowl. Add salt, crumbled yeast and stir using a spoon. Add water and stir again(quickly, shortly, so that all the ingredients link).
2. Cover the bowl with foil and put aside for 12-14 hours in a room temperature (it grows).
3. Sprinkle the kitchen surface with flour, put the dough on it. Fold it 3-4 times, using your hands.
4. Take a clean cloth, sprinkle it with flour, put the dough on it. Cover the dough using the same cloth and put aside in a warm place for another 1-2 hours (it grows again).
5. After 1,5 from these 2 hours in point 4, put the oven's lattice on the lower part of the oven (1/3), take a clean casserole (with its lid) and put it in the oven. Start preheating the oven to 240-250C.
6. When these 2 hours end, take out the casserole from the oven (be careful it will be very very hot!) and put the dough inside it (sprinkle your hands with flour, it is easier to move the dough then).
7. Cover the casserole with its lid and bake for 30 minutes. 
8. After 30 minutes, take of the lid and bake for another 15-30 minutes. Advisably, after 5-10 minutes, cover the top of the bread with foil.
9. Take out from the oven, cool down.
10. Bon Appetit! :)