Feta cheese recipes at home

It seems that those who call Feta cheese (Feta, Fetax, Fetaki, Greek Φέτα, English feta, fetta) the most famous variety of fresh cheese are not mistaken.For a long time its preparation was known to the Balkan shepherds, who looked after the goats and sheep in the Carpathian Mountains. Consequently, when it was cooked, milk of sheep and goats was originally used, which, due to its relative inaccessibility, has now been replaced by cow milk, which goes back to the traditions of the Mediterranean and is the reason that everyone considers the Feta variety to be Greek.

Feta has a cream or white color, semi-solid texture and easy to crumble. It is characterized by a soft, delicate taste with a slight hint of acidified milk. Because of its caloric value, it cannot be called dietary - from 250 to 280 kcal per 100 g. It is quite simple to prepare Feta at home with your own hands according to the simplest recipe, moreover - it will be an excellent practice for beginning cheese makers.

Feta has both beneficial and not very positive properties for the human body, like any other product. It contains the following elements:

• group of vitamins B, D;
• minerals Ca, Zn, Mn, Fe, F, Na;
• protein compounds.

Due to the presence of beneficial microorganisms, Feta can positively affect the microflora in the intestine and fight parasitic intracellular infection. Feta cheese is recommended for those who need to strengthen the bone apparatus. It is worth being careful not to consume a lot of this product, because of the high salt content may cause water retention, puffiness and excessive weight gain.

Feta cheese is made from simple products - only two components, even without the leaven, namely:

• homemade milk - 2.5 liters;
• salt - 2 partial teaspoons.

The result should be no more than half a kilo of finished cheese. To make feta cheese at home, you should stick to the following algorithm:

• it is necessary to keep the milk warm for 7–9 hours so that it is slightly acidic, but does not have time to thicken; care must be taken to avoid yogurt;
• then pour the milk into the container and leave it in the cold oven;
• you need to set the temperature + 180ºС and warm it for 50 minutes; frequent observations through the viewing window will prevent the milk from boiling, but if it does begin to boil, it is worth reducing the heat a little;
• after 60 minutes a thick curd mass is formed on the milk, it will need to be put in a sieve or a colander, with pre-prepared gauze in several layers inside;
• it is necessary to tilt the sieve or colander and leave for about half an hour to let the glass serum;
• sprinkle the top with salt (1 tsp) and turn into a plastic container;
• it is necessary to salt on top and press down with a special piston; it is better not to press down the cheese as it will be covered with serum from above, and it is desirable to remove it;
• when the cheese has cooled, you should put it in the cold for half a day;
• in the end, feta cheese, cooked in his own hand, will be salty to taste; cheese is stored in the form in which it is cooled, or in a salty liquid; to prepare it, you will need 1 liter of whey and three tablespoons of salt.

This is a more advanced recipe because it uses sourdough. The output will make at home about 350 grams of cheese. It is necessary to prepare the following ingredients:

• homemade milk - a little more than 3 liters;
• potassium chlorine and rennet ferment - by ¼ tsp;
• salt - 5 tbsp. l .;
• boiled cold water - 1 cup.

The preparation procedure includes the following steps:

• it is necessary to fill the pan with milk and heat it to approximately + 85ºС; for accurate measurement of the temperature of milk using special thermometers for cooks;
• dissolved rennet starter and KCl must be added — both ingredients are dissolved in 90–110 ml of boiled water, after having cooled the water;
• it is worth all the mix;
• further, the pan is covered with a lid, and the milk is removed in a warm place for 60 minutes; 1 hour will be enough to form a cheesy clot, which is cut into small pieces in the form of cubes and left together with the serum for 9-11 minutes;
• the next step is to warm the container with the resulting product on low heat to a temperature of + 90 ° C, stirring while heating;
• then three layers of gauze are put on the bottom of the colander to filter the mass;
• the curd obtained on gauze is tied into a knot and hung up in a cool place to allow the whey to drain into some kind of dishes (the whey will later come in handy); in time, the whole process should not take more than 7-7.5 hours;
• in the finished state, the cheese has a rather high density so as not to lose its shape; cheese is cut into slices of small thickness, salted and cleaned in a refrigerator for 5–6 hours;
• cheese is cut into medium-sized cubes and stored in glass jars, pre-filled with brine;
• brine recipe is simple: mix whey (two glasses) and salt (three tablespoons);
• cheese prepared according to this recipe will be stored for 3 weeks.

This recipe is also quite popular. To make feta cheese you will need the following ingredients:

• boiled water - 250 ml;
• goat milk - 2 l;
• pepsin - 1 g;
• homemade sour cream - 200 g

The manufacturing process includes steps such as:

• milk is divided in half - one liter should be heated at a slow fire, and the second should be mixed with sour cream;
• dissolved pepsin is poured into milk mixed with sour cream;
• all the mixed milk is poured into the enameled saucepan and left to warm for about a quarter of a day;
• after 6 hours have passed, the whey is drained, the cheese is wrapped in several layers of gauze and placed under the press or oppression for the next half a day; Fet needs to be squeezed out properly, what is done so that the serum does not ooze very much;
• ready-made fermented milk cheese Feta is optimally stored using brine, which requires 1 tsp. KCl dissolve in 1 liter of water and add 100 g of salt.

Feta cheese is easy to prepare an original and tasty dish. Greek salad is very popular and famous all over the world. You will need the following products:

• Feta cheese - 200 g;
• olive oil - 4 tbsp. l .;
• red pepper (hot) - 1 pc .;
• tomatoes - 1 pc .;
• garlic - 4 cloves;
• zest from half lemon;
• dried or fresh oregano to taste.

The cooking process is as follows:

• it is necessary to turn on the oven to warm up to + 190ºС;
• cut the cheese into 4 slices, soaking it with a paper napkin from excess water;
• place each chunk on a piece of foil that will help to wrap the cheese without problems;
• cut a tomato into circles and put on all the slices of cheese;
• chop the cloves of garlic, red pepper and oregano, sprinkle each slice; add a little lemon zest;
• pour the dish 4 tbsp. l olive oil, carefully wrap and place on the fire in the oven for a quarter of an hour;
• cheese can be served with lightly toasted white bread, and without it.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that Feta is an excellent component of salads, pizza, pasta is perfectly combined with it. and, in general, feta is a unique cheese, demonstrating its unique taste qualities on the table.

Learn more about how to make feta cheese at home, you will learn from the following video.