Lavaneh ~ Cheese Balls in Olive Oil

[Rebbetzin]

I was getting tired of my Goat Cheese Tortes.
Today I tried a Middle Eastern Recipe for making Cheese Balls.

It is really easy!

After making the cheese, drain off the whey, put curds in cheesecloth or cotton cloth,
squeeze out remaing whey.
Add salt, squeeze out more whey, save some of this whey.
Put cheese in food processor, whirl until curds are gone and cheese is smooth.
(you may need to add back a tiny bit of the whey, if the curds don't get smooth enough.)

I used a small scoop, like an ice cream scoop, but much smaller, to form the cheese and
put on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap.

I put the balls in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then rolled them into smooth balls.

While the balls were in the fridge I warmed up the olive oil, not hot, just warm about 90 degrees.
Then added Rosemary, garlic, and two sliced Thai Dragon peppers for some color, but it gives a bit of "heat" too.

There were enough balls to fill a quart jar. (well, I ate about 4 of them that were left over!)
And here was the resulting jar.

I am going to keep it in the fridge to absorb all the flavors for about a week. I hope it won't get "goaty" tasting.

 

[Back to Nature]

This looks good. I like foods that are good and pretty.

 

[Cricket]

It does look really good! How did you make the cheese? I'd like to try that. (I'm still using your cordial recipe from a while back--thank you!)

 

[Rebbetzin]

It does look really good! How did you make the cheese? I'd like to try that. (I'm still using your cordial recipe from a while back--thank you!)

The cheese is very easy.

Heat your milk in a double boiler. I do about a gallon at at time, using my big canning pot and a smaller stainless steel pot that fits inside it with handles that keep it from touching the bottom of the canning pot. If that makes any sense at all...

I attach a candy thermometer to the side of the inner pan, to keep watch on the temp of the milk, you want it to be about 190 degrees F. I cover the inner pan with plastic wrap to keep the heat in and any things else out of the milk.

Once the milk reaches 190, I skim off any "skin" that has formed, (probably doesn't really matter if it is in there, but I do that anyhow)

Then with a non reactive(wooden, plastic or stainless steel) spoon, or whisk, get the milk all stirred up, while stirring add about 3/4 cup of white vinegar to the milk. Then, STOP stirring. Let it set, it will quickly separate into "curds and whey."

Once cool enough to handle, pour off whey. Should be mostly clear and a bit yellowish. I put the whey in 1/2 gallon jars, and use it for making breads, or I give it to the chickens, the dog or roses like it too.

Drain the curds in about three layers of cheesecloth, or use a clean cotton towel, (not terrycloth. a smooth finish!) I have a special towel I use only for cheese making. Washing it well after each use. I know some people that use cotton knits, like T-shirt fabric for draining their cheeses.

Once the curds are drained, you can do many different things with the resulting cheese.

 

[lovinglife]

let us know how these turn out, I may have to add this recipe into my stash of things to do with my gallon or so of milk I hope to get every day...(eventually)

 

[Rebbetzin]

let us know how these turn out, I may have to add this recipe into my stash of things to do with my gallon or so of milk I hope to get every day...(eventually)

I will. I just discovered I have been making a type of goat "butter" and throwing it away thinking it was just a "scum" on my whey! Silly me... I skimmed it off, added some salt, and it is the best butter I ever tasted!! It is white of course, but.. I won't be throwing it away anymore!! I only got a couple of tablespoons from about a gallon of whey....

 

[Back to Nature]

Wouldn't the plastic wrap on the inside of the pot melt when you turned the heat on?

 

[Rebbetzin]

Wouldn't the plastic wrap on the inside of the pot melt when you turned the heat on?

No, the plastic wrap just sits on the top of the upper pan, holds in heat, steam comes out from area where thermometer is hooked to the side of the pan. Anyway the Costco brand of plastic wrap doesn't seem to be effected by the heat.

 

[Back to Nature]

Okay then. If I make it I'll use the Costco variety.

 

[Rebbetzin]

Okay then. If I make it I'll use the Costco variety.

Another excellent brand of "plastic wrap" is the Saran Wrap Original. I saw a TV program a few years ago on plastics, and at that time the Saran Wrap "Original" was the only brand that didn't impart chemicals to the foods. From what the test were showing, the
chemicals appeared to break down in the presence of fatty acids, like dairy products and meats.