Bacon wrapped pesto and cheese bombs are one of the most delicious starters you can ever have! One of those dishes which is pure bliss at every bite!
Wondering what bacon wrapped pesto and cheese bombs are all about? Read the post to know the whole story!
Different variety of cheese is one of the many things that you will always find in my pantry. Whether it is the creamy ricotta or cream cheese, or the hard mature Cheddar, the stringy Mozzarella, or good old Indian paneer or even the Britannia or Go Cheese cubes and slices. I find cheese to be the savior ingredient.
There is so much that can be done with cheese in the kitchen. Grate some and mix with a veggie and stuff it in a parantha for kids. Perfect for any meal, even to be packed in the lunch box. Sprinkle it on the bread, throw some veggies and grill it in 5 minutes for an evening snack which is yummy and protein rich. Whisk together some cream cheese or ricotta and peri-peri sauce for a finger licking delicious dip, if you have sudden guests. Grate and throw some on your morning omelet to make even more tasty. Cheese slices and cubes make for the perfect ready snack or cocktail bites, something one can serve with zero guilt.
So many ideas, so many different types of cheese to experiment with, that I often wonder, why don’t we stock it enough in Indian kitchens?
The child has been home for the past six days and during this time, cheese, really, has been my best friend. He and his friends have been going in and out of the house, cycling, skating and then running in saying “WE ARE HUNGRY” and it is cheese that has come to my rescue every time. From just handing them the slices, to making a dip and giving them with bread slices to making cheese cutlets to this bacon wrapped pesto and cheese bombs we made yesterday. I was thanking God this morning that I had picked my stock of cheese from Nature’s Basket last week, my preferred place to buy good cheese in the city. They stock a really good variety of Gourmet cheese and one can order – grated, cubed or full blocks of cheese from them and they deliver as well.
Yesterday evening, when the child demanded something special, these bombs are what I made. I have been eyeing them since I saw them on Crunchy Creamy Sweet. I made my own version of the same, for the gang of hungry boys, jumping breathing down my neck. I had to really scream and shout at them, to let me take photos of this and I’ll tell you a secret, if you don’t tell them. I told them they have to wait 10 minutes before eating, so the cheese in the middle doesn’t burn their tongues 😉
These bacon wrapped bites got a big thumbs up and were wiped out in no time. So don’t wait much, order your cheese from Nature’s Basket and make them. Weekend is almost here and it is time for indulgence after all!
Bacon and Cheese Bombs
Ingredients
- 5 strips bacon
- 1/4 cup pesto
For the dough
- 1.5 tbsps water warm
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tsps active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (50 grams)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups flour (240 grams)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, gently stir together warm water, sugar and yeast and let stand until foamy for about 5 minutes.
- In a saucepan or a microwave safe bowl, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add milk and heat to lukewarm. Stir in the yeast mixture, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl with a spatula until combined to slightly sticky dough that forms a ball.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, adding in more flour (little by little) if dough is too sticky. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
- Form into a ball and put in buttered bowl and cover with a cling film to raise. let it rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough is ready, punch down and release all the air and distribute the dough in 20 equal parts.
- Slice the bacon strips into to vertical halfs. Chop the cheeese cubes in 20 equal cubes.
- Press down the dough to a small rounds, spread a little pesto, place the cheese cube in the middle and seal the dough to make a round or oval. Wrap it in one of the bacon strips and seal it with a toothpick or fruit skewer.
- Repeat for all 20 pieces. In the meanwhile, heat oil in a kadhai. Very carefully drop the bacon wrapped cheese bombs in hot oil 2-3 pieces at a time. Fry on one side till golden brown and turn over. Remove from oil when both sides are golden brown.
- Let it cool atleast 2-3 minutes before serving with ketchup, chilli mayo or may be more pesto.
As usual a great post and I agree we Indians have a mond block towards cheese. Honest question – was this a plug in for Nature’s basket?
@Anindya : Yes the post was in collaboration with Natures Basket and it has been mentioned in the disclaimer as well 🙂
yes my bad I saw it late. Natures basket was in Pune in 2012 and sadly has not ventured into kolkata yet . We were leaving Pune in 2012 and we were so upset about this
@anindya : It really is my store of choice. They are so well stocked most of the times