Feta is a delicious Greek cheese that can be used to flavor a fresh salad or many other preparations, but it can also be enjoyed on its own. It is very simple to prepare, even at home, using the ingredients you normally have in your kitchen, give it a try, the result will be great.
Ingrediants
- 3, 8 l of fresh goat's milk
- 1 tablespoon of fresh yogurt
- 1/2 tablet of rennet dissolved in 50 ml of water
- salt
Steps
Step 1. Heat the goat's milk to a temperature of 30 °, stir continuously to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan
Once it reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Step 2. Mix together a tablespoon of yogurt and a tablespoon of milk
Then pour them into the pot with the hot milk and mix with care and energy. Cover the pot with the lid and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.
Step 3. While the milk is resting, dissolve the fresh rennet in water, preferably pure and chlorine-free
Step 4. When an hour has passed, pour the liquid rennet into the pot with the milk and mix thoroughly to mix the ingredients well
Step 5. Cover again with the lid and leave to rest overnight at room temperature
Step 6. The next morning check that the milk has curdled and has separated into a solid, gelatinous part and whey
Step 7. Cut the curd starting from one side and making incisions for the entire height of the curd, at a distance of about 1.5 cm from each other, tilt the knife slightly as you move forward (the curd is wider at the bottom of the pot)
Turn the pot 90 degrees and repeat the cutting procedure. Continue this operation for two more times, until you have cubes or slices of curd of about 1.5 cm (or of the chosen thickness).
Step 8. After washing your hands and arms, carefully mix the curd until it reaches the bottom of the pot
Cut any pieces that are too large, which come to the surface, with a kitchen knife to obtain cubes of about 1.5 cm in size.
Step 9. Let the curd sit for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has hardened a little
Step 10. Strain the curd using a fabric-lined colander and separate the whey from the solid part
Save the serum for the next step.
Step 11. Leave the curd wrapped in the fabric, so that it drains all the whey, it will take a variable time from 2 to 4 hours
You can leave it at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator as in the image.
Step 12. Once the curd has expelled all the whey, pour it into a bowl, season it with half a tablespoon of salt and break it carefully with your hands to mix well
Step 13. Pour the curd into a cheese mold and press it with a weight
Line the cheese mold with fabric, pour the curd inside and carefully close the fabric. As a last step, place a weight on top of the mold, in order to keep your cheese pressed and in shape. Let it rest in this position overnight.
Step 14. Make a brine using the whey
You need to get a brine with 12.5% salinity, so dissolve 5 tablespoons of salt in 600 ml of whey. The brine must be acidic, otherwise the cheese will melt inside, to achieve the desired result let it rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
Step 15. Cut the feta into cubes about 1.5 cm in size
Place them in a large glass jar and cover them completely with the brine. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a few days, so that the cheese is compacted and crumbly, just like a Greek feta should be.
Step 16. Store it in the refrigerator
Rinse the cheese in cold water before using it to remove excess salt.
Step 17. Finished
Advice
The rennet used in this preparation is of microbial origin so the cheese obtained is also suitable for vegetarians
Warnings
- Do not use ordinary tap water to dissolve the rennet tablets. City water often contains chlorine which would kill the live microbes contained in the rennet.
- If your cheese is contaminated during any stage of preparation, the risk of food poisoning will increase considerably.
