I have several cheese recipes on the site, either cream of fermented cheese, or variants of hard cheese made of chickpeas or cauliflower, but I didn’t have a recipe for fermented hard cheese, like a “telemea” or feta. So I thought of “tricking” a version of fermented cream cheese to stay firm, strong, and get the specific taste of feta. Below you have the result, 2 cheese variants, one with a strong taste and another with a less astringent taste. It looks like a feta, without holes, without shell, it “holds” quite well and combines perfectly with tomatoes and onions, just like any cheese that respects itself.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of raw almonds
- 100 grams of raw cashews
- A tablespoon of cashew yogurt
- Salt to taste
- One tablespoon of inactive yeast flakes (optional)
- Pepper (optional)
Recipe Method
We soak almonds and cashews in separate bowls, because the almonds will have to be peeled after they soften and we will not have to rummage through the cashew nuts to find them. I specify that this cheese can be made only with cashews or only with almonds, but together they enhance their qualities, the unctuousness of cashews is combined with the flavor of almonds, thus giving the best result. After they have been hydrated for 6 to 12 hours and we have peeled the skins off, we wash them very well in a lot of water and put them in the blender together with a small amount of water, just enough to mix well, resulting in a homogeneous paste. Depending on the power of the blender, if you have a strong one, a few tablespoons of water will suffice. We also put the spoon of cashew yogurt (also works without cashew yogurt, but we will have to extend the fermentation time by 6-10 hours), we mix a little more, then we turn the contents in a clean glass jar, we cover it with a paper tissue tied with an rubber band and leave it on the table between 36 and 48 hours, depends on the room temperature, until it ferments and acquires a sour taste and “binds”, thickens. Pour the content of the jar into a bowl, add salt, I put about half a teaspoon of this amount, and, optionally, inactive yeast flakes and pepper. Yeast flakes make the cheese taste less astringent, make it “softer” in taste. If you want a strong taste, like well-maturated “telemea” cheese, limit yourself to salt. Knead well to disperse the salt, then, in a glass casserole, put 2 paper tissues, turn the cheese over there, cover with the top of the tissues, put the lid on and put in the fridge. On the first day we will change the tissues 2-4 times, turning the contents upside down on a plate, take out the tissues, dry the casserole well and put another 2 dry tissues. Each time we put the cheese on the other side, overturned. The next day we change the tissues twice more, and from the third day the tissues should be only slightly damp and the cheese should “hold”, not break when we handle it. From now on we can eat it, it is delicious in salads or simple, with tomatoes and onions, just like any cheese. We can keep it for another 3-4 days in the refrigerator, in wet paper tissues and in a closed casserole with a lid.
