Soft Cheese

Approx cost: €2
Approx calories (per 100g): ~120
Approx preparation time: 120 minutes

For anyone who loves that herby, spreadable cheese you can buy to eat on bread (or anything else really), this is a fantastic, easy recipe to make at home – Being based on natural yoghurt it’s very low in fat and will thus have a slightly different flavour from store-bought cheeses but it’s very versatile, can be flavoured with almost anything, so great to experiment with, and even makes a great dip!

Ingredients

– Around 1kg of natural Yoghurt
– 2 tsps ground Cumin
– 2 tsps Caraway Seeds
– 1 handful of fresh Parsley
– 2 – 3 cloves Garlic

You’ll also need
Coffee Filters or Muslin Cloth

Instructions

1. Start off by opening yoghurt(s) and transferring to a suitable saucepan. Place on a hot stove and cook until the yoghurt is starting to bubble. Turn down the heat and cook for a couple more minutes – if you have a hot-plate-style stove then it probably won’t cool down fast enough so you’ll need to remove the pan and place back again a few times so as not to let the yoghurt get too hot.










2. While the yoghurt is heating up, line a sieve with coffee filters – cut these open at the seam to better line  the sieve with, or, if you have a Muslin Cloth, use this as the lining instead. Be sure to ensure there are no gaps where the yoghurt can drip through.










3. Once you have the sieve ready and the yoghurt has been heated, carefully pour the yoghurt into the sieve, being sure to have the sieve resting over another saucepan or similar bowl.
















4. Leave to strain for about 2 hours. The amount of time it takes can vary – Additionally, leaving it for longer will produce a firmer cheese at the end. As long as you put it in a cool place, you can really leave it for 24 hours if you wish. Ensure there is sufficient space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the saucepan/bowl for the liquid to drain.










5. After everything has been sufficiently drained, mince the garlic and chop the parsley finely. Split the cheese between two clean bowls. Add the garlic and parsley to one bowl and mix and the cumin to the other bowl and mix. Sprinkle the caraway seeds on top of the cheese with cumin and then serve with some nice fresh bread. If you strained the yoghurt for longer you will be able to shape the final product. – For example, you may want to gently press it together into a ball and roll in parsley, before wrapping in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. Store in the refrigerator when not being eaten! This step can be modified as you like – try experimenting with different additions to really customise your cheese.