Kelly’s Italian Formaggio

Directions:
Set aside ¼ cup of pine nuts, ¼ cup of Kelly’s sun dried tomatoes, and ½ cup basil for future use.
After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear. Place the cashews, salt, water, onion, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and ½ cup basil into a high speed blender. Blend until creamy smooth. Set aside.

Agar: Ingredients:
1 ½ tsp. agar powder
1 cup filtered water

Directions:
Choose the molds that you are going to use. Place them on a plate and set aside.

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Place 1 cup filtered water and 1 ½ tsp. agar powder into a pan. Turn on the heat to high and whisk constantly while heating. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes continue whisking during this procedure. It is done when it resembles heavy thick glue.
Note: Moving quickly is imperative at this point in the recipe because the agar sets up rapidly once it begins to cool down. Also note that when it is time to add the agar to the cheese, turn the blender on the lowest speed possible.

Now, turn the blender on low and pour in the agar while scraping the sides down. Add the pine nuts, ½ cup Kelly’s sun dried tomatoes and basil to the cheese. Mix for 30 seconds until evenly incorporated. Make sure to drain the water off of the tomatoes before adding. Do not over mix so that the pine nuts, tomatoes, and basil are still as whole as possible.

Remove from the blender as soon as possible and pour into the molds. Smooth the tops of the cheese with a knife until the top is nice and flat. Cover the molds on the plate with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and remove the molds by pulling them straight up. The cheese will come right out. Garnish with the remaining sun dried tomatoes.

This cheese has a shelf life of 4 to 6 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to store in an air tight container.

Note: Agar powder is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin. It is a vegan, gluten free food and is used in this recipe to mold the cheese and hold the shape.

Kelly’s Italian Formaggio

This creation will capture your heart as well as your palate. Experience a flavor burst with every bite. This great spread can be paired with crackers, chips, bread and veggies. Kelly’s Italian Spread is my special combination of the original sun dried tomato recipe and a plethora of Italian seasonings. Molto Buono!