Spice (41 page)
Authors: Ana Sortun
The texture is fantastic: softer and silkier than commercial varieties and not nearly as salty. String cheese sold in Middle Eastern and Armenian stores is usually brined and can be very salty. When I’ve tried soaking that cheese in cold water to remove excess salt, the texture becomes mushy. Other commercial brands, found in grocery stores, are rubbery from stabilizers and overprocessing.
String cheese is easy to make, but it takes some practice to get it just right. For your first time, you’ll want to order an extra pound of cheese to practice with. The practice batch may not look very appetizing, but it will taste delicious. You can also order a few pounds of cheese and make the string cheese in three batches. Kids love this recipe; they have so much fun stretching the cheese.
You need a good source for cheese curds. I get mine from www.todarobros-specialty-foods.com. You can buy it by the pound, and it usually arrives the next day. String cheese freezes very well, so you can make a big batch and keep it handy in the freezer.
M
AKES
1
POUND OF STRİNG CHEESE OR
1
LARGE BRAİD
1 pound mozzarella curd
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1.
Cut the mozzarella curd into small pieces and place them in a Teflon pan. Add the salt and nigella seeds.
2.
Heat the cheese on low, stirring, until it is melted thoroughly and there are no lumps left.
3.
Remove the cheese from the heat and drain off the excess water in a colander.
4.
While the cheese is still very warm but cool enough to handle, pick it up in a large lump and poke a hole in the center with your fingers, so that the cheese resembles a large doughnut.
5.
You will need to work very quickly at this point because the cheese cools down rapidly once it has been stretched. You’ll have about 3 minutes to stretch the cheese. Grab it with both hands and stretch it so that it forms a large loop. Stick your finger through each end of the loop, and very quickly start winding the two strands of the loop around each other, as if you were making a rope while winding. Keep stretching the cheese gently, almost to the breaking point. The more you stretch, the stringier the cheese will be. When finished, you should have a length of cheese that resembles a thick rope or a tightly wrung-out dish cloth.
6.
Twist the ends of the cheese in opposite directions and intertwine the rope into a braid. Place one end through the loop of the other to lock it.
7.
Set the cheese aside in the refrigerator or in a cool room for about an hour to dry thoroughly. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze it; it will keep for a week in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer.
8.
To serve the cheese, open the braid, cut one loop, and pull the cheese apart into thin strands. Serve with pita bread.
Spinach Bundles with Warm Goat Cheese
At Oleana, we list this dish as spinach dolmas and serve it as one of three mezze on a single plate, alongside Cranberry Beans Stewed with Tomato and Cinnamon (page 113) and Beet Tzatziki (page 252). I was originally inspired to create this dish because I wanted to offer three different mezze from the regions of Greece, Turkey, and Armenia, and showcase them harmoniously on one plate. These creamy, warm bundles are slightly nutty from the nigella seed, and the assertive, earthy mint complements the subtle cheese and is also perfect with the spinach. You can also substitute chard leaves for the spinach.
In this recipe, good goat cheese—creamy and delicate with some acidity, and that softens as it warms—is crucial. I like to use Laura Chenel from California or Westfield Farms Capri from Massachusetts, available at specialty shops. Both of these small companies raise goats specifically for making delicious goat cheese; they allow their goats to graze and eat what they would naturally. Neither farm uses gums or stabilizers like some commercial varieties.
As an appetizer course, this dish pairs wonderfully with a sauvignon blanc from Sancerre.
M
AKES
6
LARGE BUNDLES USİNG
2
-OUNCE RAMEKİNS OR
12
SMALL BUNDLES USİNG
1-
OUNCE RAMEKİNS
Salt to taste
Ice cubes
20 large, flat spinach leaves, washed (you will have extra for patching)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
15 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon dried mint
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
Pepper to taste
1.
Bring a small pan of water to a boil on high heat. Add salt.
2.
Prepare a bowl with ice cubes and cold water for shocking and cooling the spinach down quickly.
3.
Add the spinach leaves to the boiling water and cook them until they wilt and are soft; this takes less than 1 minute.
4.
Drain the spinach into a small colander and then tip the leaves into the ice water, enhancing their green color. Let the spinach sit in the ice water for a couple of minutes, stirring to melt the ice.
5.
Drain the spinach leaves in the colander again and squeeze them into a little ball. Pull the leaves apart and place them on a paper towel to drain more.
6.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7.
Brush the olive oil onto the insides of six 2-ounce ramekins.
8.
Line each ramekin with two spinach leaves (smoothest side down), so that they completely line the ramekin and hang over the sides. Use a third leaf if two don’t do the job. Place the ramekins on a small baking sheet.
9.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, mint, and nigella seeds and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
10.
Fill each ramekin with 3 generous tablespoons of goat cheese and fold the spinach leaves over the cheese to make little bundles. Press down to pack them into shape.
11.
Bake the bundles until the cheese is soft and melted, about 12 minutes.
12.
Invert the ramekins onto plates and serve warm with cranberry bean salad, tzatziki, and/or Crick-Cracks (page 176) and a glass of ouzo or raki to slightly wet the lips between bites.