Cheese lovers have been living a little sad lately. The price tag indicates good products simply astronomical numbers, and what is available to an honest person, alas, is completely tasteless. However, do not despair. You can cook Ossetian cheese yourself, and even inexperience in cheese making will not be a hindrance. A little patience and scrupulousness - all that is needed near the stove. And for absolutely little money you get an extremely tasty product.
This wonderful Ossetian cheese
Many ignore rennet cheeses, considering only hard varieties worthy. And absolutely in vain! The same Ossetian cheese (photo in the article) is not only amazingly tasty, but also extremely healthy. It contains all the essential vitamins plus the most essential minerals. Thanks to this, Ossetian cheese is persistently recommended by doctors to everyone who has hard physical work (or athletes), as well as people with intellectual labor. By the way, cheese will be for women during pregnancy, nursing mothers and the younger generation of any age. And there are several more arguments for making Ossetian cheese at home.
The most important thing is milk
The original cheese recipe allows the use of any milk up to a mixture from different "producers" - for example, you can combine a mare and a cow. However, it must be natural. So an ultra-pasteurized or sterilized product will not work. Moreover, it is worth abandoning the powder version - you can’t get Ossetian cheese from it. However, like any other. The real, rustic one would be ideal, but you must completely trust the animal: boiling under a categorical ban. In urban conditions, pasteurized milk with “floating” fat content will have to be used. Shelf life of less than a week - exactly what is required.
The first stage of cheese making
Those who cook Ossetian cheese for the first time, let them practice a small amount. Four liters of milk is enough for a start. In addition to it, another half-liter of kefir of usual fat content and pepsin at the rate of two tablets per liter of milk will be required. All manipulations are carried out in enameled or stainless dishes, as it is simply unrealistic to cook Ossetian cheese in “aluminum”.
Milk is poured into a bulk container and heated on a stove of degrees up to 28 (but not higher than 32, so a thermometer will not hurt to buy). Kefir can be heated just under hot water. Pepsin is crushed and dissolved in a stack of warm water. First, kefir is poured and mixed, after five minutes - diluted pepsin. Milk begins to curl almost immediately. At the same time, it must be removed from the fire, but kept warm. You can, for example, turn on the hotplates around the pan or push it to the battery (in winter).
After about an hour, the contents of the container are divided into whey and future Ossetian cheese. The clot is separated by a knife, and the bowl is again heated to the quietest fire of degrees to forty. In just a quarter of an hour, the cheese blank is compacted - it's time to put it in a colander.
The second stage of cheese making
When the whey has mostly drained, a load is placed on the clot. After a couple of hours, the Ossetian cheese turns over and is again placed under oppression. After another hour, he is transferred to the form, again pressed down and hides in the cool. Under load, the cheese should stay for a day. After that, it is rubbed with salt (for the first time you can take two spoons, after which you will adjust to your liking). Experiments are welcome: sprinkling oregano, pepper, aromatic herbs will give the cheese a new flavor. He is completely ready in two days, but the degree of maturity is a matter of personal preferences. Just in the refrigerator Ossetian cheese is stored for less than two weeks without compromising on quality and taste. If you want to stretch the pleasure, immerse it in whey brine. The result is a variation on the theme of feta cheese, in which the shelf life is practically endless.
For lovers of original recipes: ahsan
If you want to try authentic Ossetian cheese, you will have to make rennet instead of pepsin. For her, a stomach is bought - beef or mutton, is poured very generously with salt, curled up and set aside for a day for salting. After that, it is straightened and dried - either over the stove turned on, or in a slightly heated oven. When the abomasum is completely dried, a piece is cut off from it and immersed in heated and salted whey. Ahsan will be insisted for a day. A sign of readiness will become turbidity and bubbles. For every liter of milk, half a glass of sourdough is taken.
Subtleties and nuances
A few rules established through trial and error will help you get the perfect Ossetian cheese the first time.
- If you use pepsin, wait until it is completely dissolved, otherwise it is not fully utilized.
- After adding pepsin / sourdough and stirring, the pan does not touch until it begins to ripen.
- The colander should be of the appropriate size: with a large diameter and a small amount of milk, you will get a thin "pancake" instead of the circle.
Successful experiments and bon appetit!