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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
56 Comments
The tangy yogurt and blend of herbs and spices must be wonderful! I’ve never tried making my own cheese but this recipe sounds totally doable.
I hope you are having a wonderful trip!
oh wow this looks amazing I will convince you that Brits can cook lol have fun on your trip
oh i love spiced cheese like this! always a great appetizer at parties.
This is a fantastic appetizer. I will try it with goat cheese or even soft feta.
Oh Joumana, you did an excellent job, it looks gorgeous, my grandmother would be so proud in heaven with smiles in her eyes. Thank you Joumana for posting one of my families treasures, it looks so homy and comferting, the kind of thing you say did I make this? This is a village cheese that spells sharing.
On behalf of my family I would like to express to you my genuine boxes of graduate, courtesy, and graciousness.
Thanks for the great recipe and useful links!
I completely appreciate the fact that this is a true authentic recipe.
The fact that it’s goat milk based is certainly a big bonus…easier to digest;0)
A very easy and versatile recipe.
Thanks for sharing and flavourful wishes, Claudia
Thank you to Sylvia and her grandmother!
You are so kind to take the time and post all the way
from Beirut.
This is a great cheese and thanks for sharing with us the “secret” recipe. Now, go out and get some Hanna’s ice cream and eat it on my behalf
That spice mixture sounds fantastic.
Perfect when it’s hot! Those fresh cheeses must be deliciozs on homemade bread!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a lovely and delicious blend of flavours… An excellent recipe!
Hope you are having a lovely trip!
This is beautiful and sounds delicious with the tangy yogurt and all the spices.
Syliva is so sweet to share this heirloom recipe!
Isn’t it the sweetest thing when someone shares a treasured family recipe – that’s like the best gift ever!
I m intrigued by this cheese and I think one should try a new cheese each & every day!
Blog friends are wonderful, especially the food bloggers.
I have all the ingredients except for the pepper. I love cheese and I’m sure this recipe is going to be fantastic!
I want to try making this cheese! I made ricotta for the first time recently, and now I’m fascinated with cheese-making. The spice coating looks delicious too.
The cheese looks wonderful. I love authentic recipes, and how special to get it from a grandmother! Lucky you and lucky us!
The cheese looks so good and melt in mouth…
I really like this story, Joumana, and your cheese photos are GORGEOUS!!! I’ve been studying Armenian history but know so little about their cuisine. Thank you for sharing this!!
Oh joy! A recipe for shankleesh!
I dearly love this cheese, and I have been unable to find any here in Vancouver. Now I can – and will – make my own.
Merci beaucoup Joumana / shenorakal em Sylvia !
Emmanuelle
These are a great party snack! Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe.
C’est vrai qu’on rencontre plein de monde grace au blog, et tu as de la chance que Sylvia t’ai transmis une recette de famille, en plus géniale, cette recette a base de yaourt. Elles ont l’air délicieuses ces petites boulettes de fromage enrobées d’épices!
Every time I hop over here I see something amazing! This cheese looks unbelievably delicious! I would love to give it a try! Double yum!!
I really have to try this. I haven’t made cheese in years. Yours looks so good I’ve been inspired. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
I tasted these once somewhere and was out of my mind with the flavour. HOOKeD. and had to go home and make them myself. I had no name to google. I didn’t know what I was eating – except that it was definitely a yogurt cheese with herbs… I make my own yogurt and yogurt cheese often… so – which herbs? I discovered an outstanding flavour profile my first try – and have stuck to it since. Just tonight, for grade 9 grad – I used the same spice herb mixture to toss with some feta in olive oli and everyone went nuts over it. This recipe is similar yet different than mine, so bravo to me. Mine is on my site under yogurt cheese balls… cinnamon and nutmeg would be different. What are the differences between the Armenian recipe and the traditional Lebonese recipe?
Valerie
I love this blog because I find things I’d never normally see. Beautiful pictures and thanks for taking time in your trip to share your recipes.
I am surely going to try this!! Home made cheese, I never made !!
All of the spices around the cheese balls look so appetizing & inviting too!
Another must try recipe of yours!!
I’ve made yoghurt cheese marinated in chilli and rosemary but this spice mix looks FAR more exciting…Hope you had stress free flight.
Just shared this with my husband and he said,”just listening to you, I need some arak!”
I had no idea it was that easy to make cheese….lol…..at least you make it look easy! I love all types of cheese and this looks positively wonderful.. Its so nice to make such great friends on the web, through our sites, we gain such a valuable insight into how others live and eat, and sometimes we are taken back to our roots or awaken such wonderful memories of our own youth…..what a blessing!
I love reading your blog and your fantastic recipes….next year I do want to try and incorporate more of your recipes in my offerings to my girls!!
cheers
Dennis
I love seeing recipes for homemade cheese. Not that I’ve ever made it before but someday I will and when I do, I’ll know who to turn to! THe spices in this sound excellent!
tu as eu de la chance d’avoir un tel secret et en plus c’est tres j joli et surement tres bon !! bizz de paris pierre
How sweet of Sylvia to share the recipe – it’s wonderful!
In the last months I have come across so many recipes to make certain cheese and I am a cheese freak. I love it. So easy with just yogurt. I have to admit the drying outside took me aback but it makes sense.
I do have a question how do you keep the cheese to mature without it going bad?
Amazing! And sounds so easy! Wonderful. Love herbed cheeses.
@Eve: you scrape off the mold when it appears; at least that’s what cheesemakers do with this cheese; since I was dubious about this I chose to make the cheese and eat it right away!
Amazing. I’d love to try and make this.
I just LOVE Shankleesh! J’ai tellement envie d’essayer d’en faire, je crois qu’avec ta recette et tes références je pourrai bien le faire prochainement, après tout il fair chaud au Liban maintenant, c’est parfait pour assécher le Shankleesh!
what a FABULOUS combination of herbs and spices–they deliver in both flavor and appearance. wonderful creation indeed.
Joumana, i think i have been living in th uk too long and forgetting slowly all the good simple things from back home…. Love shankleesh. Love it!
Oh my, I see a meze plate coming up with this delicious sounding cheese and the stuffed grape leaves. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful sounding recipe.
Oh wow, I’ve BEEN to Kessab in Syria. It’s lovely. Shankleesh has an amazing flavor, one of the few cheeses I miss now that I (mostly) avoid dairy. I will have to make this sometime, and of course, sneak a few bites. Thanks for sharing this!
I totaly agree with you: what a great community this is, sharing recipes with people from places I never thought of is just a delight, so is this cheese I had tried in Armenian restaurants, but never dreamed of makink it myself, THANK YOU
Wow….it looks beautiful. I like the last photo with the chilli coated cheese ball! Have fun at home
WOW… looks great! never had Armenian cheeses… these look like the fancy expensive stuff I find in my grocery store… excited to try them out
I did not realize that it was this easy to make this cheese! I make fresh yogurt at home all the time, and this would be a very easy next step.
I’ve never made my own yogurt cheese and this looks so fun! An dthose balls of cheese are really pretty. Yum!
This looks absolutely divine! I have been hankering for a “starter” recipe to do some homemade cheese making. Now I have it.
Thanks!
This looks so delicious, I really love cheese
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