Khachapuri

I’m working with three amazing Georgian chefs and khachapuri is an absolute Georgian classic – can I say it is better than pizza? Well I just did, come at me! Fun fact: Georgia is a leader in natural wine, which is increasing in super-popularity and New Zealand is coming out with some micro-winery big hitters, Hawke’s Bay being a power- house region. Georgia is also covered in fig trees, giving me my Kiwi-inspired khachapuri. It’s an absolutely beautiful dish, served with a big free-range egg on top, freshly torn figs and a peppery little watercress salad, and it’s just magic cooked in an outside oven or pizza oven. Note, you can’t make khachapuri in a bad mood!

 

Instructions

1.	Heat the oven to 180°C.
2.	Melt the butter for the dough and set it aside.
3.	Combine the yoghurt, salt, baking soda and sugar.
4.	Pour in the butter, making sure it’s all mixed and looking bubbly.
5.	Add the flour bit by bit until it’s combined.
6.	Start working it with your hands, making sure it’s smooth and not sticky. Set aside.
7.	For the filling, mix all the cheeses together.
8.	Split the dough into four balls and roll each out into a disc 1cm thick.
9.	Put a quarter of the cheese mix onto each one and roll the sides in, shaping into an oval.
10.	Pop into the oven and bake, turning them around until cooked and golden brown with the cheese bubbling in the middle, about 20-25 minutes.
11.	Add a little knob of butter and an egg yolk to each one.
12.	Serve on a giant wooden chopping board.
13.	I love to tear the figs in a nonchalant way, then sprinkle with watercress and chopped walnuts.
14.	Mix the honey and vinegar together and use this as a little acidic dressing to cut through all that cheese.