Marinated Goats Cheese with Stem Ginger – A delicious recipe using local Welsh goats cheese with ginger, fennel, star anise, basil, orange & garlic in olive oil. This recipe is easy to make, requires minimal cooking (just on the hob top) and is the perfect dish for an al-fresco summer gathering served with crusty bread or crackers, or even as a salad topping. 

and

Fennel, Star Anise, Orange, Garlic, Basil and mixed

Peppercorns on Lemon Olive

Oil

This summer in the UK just keeps on giving, and with the sun shining every day here in North Wales, I’ve turned my attention more towards no-cook meals, or at least minimal cooking. Every day I wake up at about 5am to blue skies and the early morning sun streaming through our attic bedroom’s velux windows, with nary a cloud in the sky and the sound of birds singing harmoniously. After a light breakfast outside on the terrace, my thoughts turn to menu planning and what to eat for the day. The barbecue has been dragged out of its winter storage, and has been well used. The parasol is permanently up and our outdoor summer table and chairs are positioned on the terrace and in the little middle garden between the main house and the annex. Salads feature a lot, obviously, and I try to use lots of seasonal, local produce with provenance. And so it was that after picking up two bags of locally grown watercress and some Welsh goats cheese, today’s recipe for Marinated Goats Cheese with Stem Ginger and Fennel, Star Anise, Orange, Garlic, Basil and mixed Peppercorns on Lemon Olive Oil was devised, also based on the fact that I had a jar of Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup in the pantry, fresh basil in the garden and all of the other spices to hand.

Today’s recipe for Marinated Goats Cheese with Stem Ginger and Fennel, Star Anise, Orange, Garlic, Basil and mixed Peppercorns on Lemon Olive Oil is a variation of an old recipe of mine from many years ago, but I’ve added star anise, fennel seeds and lemon olive oil for a spicy twist, which works so well with the stem ginger and soft goats cheese. Once assembled onto a serving platter, you can squidge the goats cheese onto crusty bread or spread it elegantly over crackers, or add it (oil and all) to a plate of watercress or mixed salad leaves, as we did, with crackers on the side. You only need to heat the oil with the spices and aromatics on top of the hob for a few minutes and then let it infuse, preferably for a couple of hours; that’s the only cooking involved in this recipe which means it’s the perfect recipe for a hot summer’s day. Try to use a goat’s cheese log, which will make it easier to slice into rounds. You can assemble this quite happily several hours before you intend to serve it, and also store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

I find stem ginger (and crystallised ginger) such useful store-cupboard ingredients to have, and I use both of them regularly in the kitchen for all sorts of sweet and savoury dishes. Stem ginger in particular makes a wonderful addition to stir-fries, rich beef casseroles and daubes, curries and goes particularly well with cheese, as I discovered with this recipe. It’s also the hero ingredient in steamed puddings, fruit pies and mince tarts, and I often add chopped crystallised ginger to marmalade, jams, chutneys and pickles when I make them. One tip for a great summer dessert is to drizzle some ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger over ice cream, perfect if you are a ginger addict like myself. I hope you will be inspired to make my recipe for Marinated Goats Cheese with Stem Ginger and Fennel, Star Anise, Orange, Garlic, Basil and mixed Peppercorns on Lemon Olive Oil, and if you do, please let me know how you served it and if everyone enjoyed it as much as we do at Chez Lavender and Lovage. I have some more stem ginger and crystallised ginger recipes below, using Opies ginger too, which I hope will provide you with some more #freetheginger inspiration. Have a great week, I’ll see you soon with more traveller’s tales and some new seasonal recipes, Karen 

*Disclaimer: Collaborative paid work with Foodies 100 and Opies*

Marinated Goats Cheese with Stem Ginger and Fennel, Star Anise, Orange, Garlic, Basil and mixed Peppercorns on Lemon Olive Oil

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Serves	6
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish, Starter
Misc	Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A spectacular recipe using local Welsh goats cheese with ginger, fennel, star anise, basil, orange & garlic in olive oil. This recipe is easy to make, requires minimal cooking (just on the hob top) and is the perfect dish for an al-fresco summer gathering served with crusty bread or crackers, or even as a salad topping. 

Ingredients

• 300g goats cheese (a log is best)
• 3 tablespoons lemon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons ginger syrup (taken from the stem ginger)
• 1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns (green, pink, black and white)
• 4 to 5 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
• 3 balls of Opies stem ginger in syrup (finely chopped)
• Grated orange zest 1 orange
• Fresh basil leaves

Note

A spectacular recipe using local Welsh goats cheese with ginger, fennel, star anise, basil, orange & garlic in olive oil. This recipe is easy to make, requires minimal cooking (just on the hob top) and is the perfect dish for an al-fresco summer gathering served with crusty bread or crackers, or even as a salad topping.

Directions

Step 1	In a saucepan, combine the olive oil, ginger syrup, peppercorns, star anise and fennel seeds and heat over a gentle heat until the spices become aromatic, about 2 to 5 minutes. Allow to cool and infuse for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
Step 2	Cut the goat’s cheese into ½” slices if using a log; otherwise, dice the goat’s cheese into ½” cubes. Arrange them on an attractive serving plate.
Step 3	In a small jug, combine the garlic, chopped stem ginger and orange zest and then add the cooled oil and spices mixture, gently stir and then pour the mixture over the goats cheese. Cover and allow to marinate for 3 to 5 hours in the fridge or a cool pantry.
Step 4	Just before serving, garnish with the fresh basil leaves and serve with fresh bread, crackers or oatcakes. Can also be used as a sandwich filling or served as a light meal with salad and watercress.

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