I accidentally made cheese. I think that was done a thousand plus years ago but it takes me a while to catch on.
Greek yogurt - that you actually buy in Greece - not the fakey stuff in the U.S. grocery stores - is unbelievably rich and thick and creamy. To try to replicate that I strain organic yogurt and then add my own honey, fruit or make tzatziki.
A while back I put my yogurt in the strainer and then forgot about it for a day or so. When it finally did make it back into my line of sight it had become a little firm ball of cheese. Amazing.
I started looking up 'yogurt cheese' on the internet and come to find out they have been doing this in the middle east for more than centuries, it's called Labneh. O.K. so it's not so amazing. But it was amazing to ME.
Mix in just about anything for flavor and add a little sea salt. I have ground dehydrated tomatoes, added smoked paprika and garlic, ground dehydrated onions, peppers and garlic. Next I might try a little red wine.
1. Put it in the strainer for at least an overnighter. 2. Put something on top of it to weigh it down and squeeze more of the whey out. You will need to empty the liquid repeatedly as a LOT of liquid comes out. Save the liquid - it is full of great bacteria for making bread, muffins biscuits, etc. or putting on the compost pile to give it a boost. Sometimes I add it to the chicken and turkey feed. I am sure that if you have a dog they would also be grateful to lap it up.
The finally for number 3. salt the outside of the ball and wrap in more cheese cloth. As you can see I don't actually use cheesecloth - the weave is too open. Handiwipes are perfect for this. I can wash them and throw them in the microwave to sterilize. Just keep changing out your cloth for a dry one as it gets wet. After a week or so you have a soft but firm ball of cheese. I'm thinking pizza, stuffed pickled peppers, spread for crackers, on celery and so on and so forth.
