Feta

There is something very basic about the need to make cheese and the end product is so satisfying.  Plus there is the added bonus that you know how the cheese was made and what ingredients were used.  So making your own cheese can be a very healthy alternative and a very satisfying hobby.

This week I made another batch of Feta cheese.

This time when it came to salting the Feta I used Amena's Organic Herb Salt.  This a mix of sea salt and dried herbs. 

The Amena's Organic Herb Salt has given the Feta a slight green tinge but I am sure the taste will be worth it.

Here is the recipe I used.  It is based on a recipe from www.countrybrewer.com.au.

1. If you are not using an instant starter,  the day before cheese making, prepare a Mesophilic starter as
per the instructions.
2. Heat the milk to 30°C.    Add the Calcium Chloride solution, then the prepared starter and the Lipase solution and mix thoroughly. Cover and let ripen for 60 minutes.
3. Gently stir in the diluted Rennet with an up and down motion for at least 1 minute.
Cover and allow to set for 60 minutes.
4. Cut the curds into 13mm cubes then allow to stand for 10 minutes.
5. Gently stir the curds every 5 minutes for 20 mins
6. Pour the curds into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Tie the corners of the cloth into a knot and hang the bag to drain for 4 hours.
7. Untie the bag and cut the curds into 25mm slices, then cut into 25mm cubes.
8. Sprinkle the cubes with Salt (Amena's Organic Herb Salt) to taste. Place in a covered bowl and allow to age for 4-5 days in the fridge.
FOR A STRONGER FLAVOUR:
9. Make a brine solution by combining 1/3 cup of Salt to 1.5 litres of water. Place the cheese in the brine and store in the fridge for 30 days.

After reading Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions I have decided to remove low fat products from our diet.  So in this recipe I used milk made from skim milk powder to use up the skim milk powder.   The recipe is suppose to yield 500g but with skim milk powder it yields 200g.

I have been reading Gavin's Little Green Cheese Blog and I can't wait to make the Caerphilly