Spiced Hoop Cheese (Surquig or Shankleesh)

The greatest benefit of blogging is this:  it has allowed me to meet wonderful people from all around the globe.

I met Sylvia Titizian; she is Armenian and Lebanese and resides in the US.  She offered me her grandmother’s recipe for homemade spiced cheese, known as surquig or shankleesh.

I was especially touched by Sylvia’s gift for three  reasons: one is that this cheese, a beloved mezze in Lebanon is amongst the top 3 most popular cheeses in the country; the second reason is that its exact composition is somewhat of a secret; the third reason is that I was especially interested in the Armenian version of this cheese because I love Armenian cuisine.

Sylvia’s grandmother came from the village of Kessab, an Armenian village in Syria. The local villagers there were largely self-sufficient, nourishing themselves with the products of their fields, orchards, goats and cows. Sylvia remembers her grandmother milking the cow, making yogurt and from the yogurt making that cheese. Every family had their own spice mixture and this one is specific to Sylvia’s family.

What about taste? if it is fresh (mine was, I made it right before my departure) the cheese will taste mild; if left to mature several weeks, it will become pungent; its texture is similar to a feta. It can be made with goat yogurt.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 containers of  lowfat (or full fat) yogurt (totalling 4 pounds)
• spices: 1 Tablespoon of ground oregano, 2 Tablespoons of hot or mild Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon allspice, salt, pepper (to taste).

METHOD:

1. Place the yogurt in a large pot or Dutch oven. Set on medium heat and let the yogurt cook for a while; in the meantime, assemble all the spices and mix them thoroughly in a small bowl with a whisk.
2. When the yogurt starts to  form big curds, remove from the heat, cool it a bit (I did not)  and pour into a calico bag or a large bowl, through a strainer lined with a couple of layers of paper towels.
3. Let the cooked yogurt drain for a few hours; when it is firm but still moist, place in a bowl (it will be a bit crumbly) and mix in the spices. Form into baseball-size balls and let it dry out  outside on a hot day  for a few more hours. (can also let it dry in the fridge on paper towels that you can change anytime they get wet and replace with dry ones).
4. When the cheese is firm and dry, coat with spices on the outside. Serve with crackers and olive oil.

NEXT: Sylvia Titizian’s family recipe for surquig (or shankleesh)  salad. (will post it tomorrow)

NOTE:

Arlette at Phoenician Gourmet has posted an excellent recipe with step-by-step instructions on how to make shankleesh cheese. (Lebanese version of the same cheese).

Substitutions: oregano can be zaatar instead

Aleppo pepper can be chipotle pepper or any kind of paprika.