Pecorino pepper shortbreads

Totally delicious moreish, I usually make double the quantity and store the dough rolled in its sausage shape in the freezer. Delicious eaten on their own served with drinks or topped with ricotta and confit tomato. If you are vegetarian or vegan use vegetarian Italian hard cheese.

Process the butter and flower until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the grated cheese and black pepper, pulse again. Add a few drops of water and continue to pulse until the dough starts to stick together. Turn out onto a floured surface.

Roll out into a sausage shape roughly 2cm in diameter. If the sausage is very long, cut in half. Wrap in baking parchment (or cling film) and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. At this point the dough will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge or you can freeze.

Preheat the oven to 180c fan and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Unwrap the dough and cut into 0.5cm disks. Space out on the prepared sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.