Savoury Parmesan and Herb Walnut Biscotti (Paximadia)

These savoury biscotti are full of flavor thanks to the grated parmesan cheese, fresh rosemary, thyme and cracked black pepper and ofcourse the good quality olive oil that they are made with – and it’s a wonderful biscotti to serve on a cheese platter with wine, or alongside a salad or a hearty soup.

Olive oil seemed to be the perfect ingredient to use in these savoury biscotti. And when you are cooking with olive oil – for any recipe – you want to make sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil so that your finished recipe has the best quality flavors, and that is why I used Kalikori Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A high quality olive oil from Greece.

There are two things I look for in a good olive oil - an olive oil that is not only wonderful to use in cooking but especially one that tastes good on its one as a finishing oil and one I would use at the dinner table or on a cheese board for dipping. Good olive oil—real olive oil—should smell and taste green, bright, peppery, earthy, grassy, or any combination thereof. That is exactly what Kalikori tastes like. It has a distinctive green colour and a peppery finish, moderately intense aromatic notes reminiscent of spring herbs and the Mediterranean sun.   

The second thing I look for in a really good quality olive oil is that it has a low acidity of 0.8% or lower. This actually tells you the oil you are buying is from the first press of the olives and also related to the taste of the olive oil.  It’s the early harvest which gives the oil it’s aroma, and it’s peppery finish. Kalikori olive oil has an acidity level of 0.4% so it’s no wonder it tastes the way it does. It is also a first press olive oil proven by its low acidity.

I love to make charcuterie boards and spreads like this one. I don’t know what it is about them but I love arranging them. I’m sure it has to do with how much I love eating charcuterie style. It’s just so fun putting together all the different components of a good charcuterie platter. In fact I have a blog post dedicated to how to create a charcuterie platter at any budget. I love to make my own crisps when I can and I thought I would try making some savoury biscotti to add to my harvest one. They were the perfect crispy addition to this platter and they were sooo simple to make. If you haven’t made savoury

I have partnered up with Kalikori Olive Oil to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.

Recipe

Makes approx 24 biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large eggs
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Stir in Parmesan, walnuts, pepper, rosemary, and thyme mixing until well combined.
3. In desperate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and olive oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients to form a dough. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface, cut into half, and shape into two logs (approximately 10” x 3). Transfer both to baking sheet & press slightly to flatten the logs.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 13-15 minutes.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Carefully transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice each log crosswise, on a slight diagonal, into approximately ½-inch slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their sides in a single layer and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully flip each slice over. Bake for another 10-12 additional minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.