Cheese straws for hungry friends

As someone who loves food, I always make sure that my friends have something to eat the minute they enter my house – I believe that nothing like a drink and something to snack on to make one feel welcome. :)

I like to serve something small enough to be eaten without cutlery and without much mess either, and tiny portions so everyone is still hungry when dinner is served. I made these cheese straws the other day, when I had a couple of friends over for pizza, and they turned out delicious and flaky.

I baked the straws in the afternoon and kept them in an airtight container. When my friends arrived, I just arranged the straws in glasses and served them with drinks – no more hungry guests. :)

Cheese straws
slightly adapted from the lovely and delicious National Trust Simply Baking

155g all purpose flour
70g whole wheat flour
115g unsalted butter, cold and diced
¼ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
85g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg, beaten

Topping:
½ egg, beaten with a fork
dried oregano, to taste

Place the flours, cheese, salt and pepper into the food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in the egg 1 ½ tablespoons of the ice water and, with the motor running, pour this into the mixture and stop processing as soon as the crumbs begin to hold together – add more water if necessary, but do it gradually.
Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gather the dough together with your hands. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Roll half the dough about 5mm (¼in) thick (keep the other half in the fridge) - the pastry needs to be thick enough to twist without breaking. Trim the edges and cut into strips, each about 15cm (6in) long and 1cm (½in) wide. Gently twist each strip and lay onto the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining pastry. Re-roll the trimmings and repeat until you’ve used all the dough and made around 40 straws.
Carefully brush all the straws with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the dried oregano. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the sheets over a wire rack.
They will keep for a few days in an airtight can.

Makes about 40