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Smile and Say Cheese: How to Make Halloumi at Home & Fried Halloumi Salad

10 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Good Cooks in Appetizer & Sides, Breakfast & Brunch, Middle Eastern, Pantry Food, Recipes, Salad

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

cheese, cheese making, cow's milk, fried halloumi, from scratch, halloumi, Homemaid, How to, How to make halloumi at home, making cheese at home, Mezze table, Middle East, Rennet, step by step, Za'tar

Why to pay high prices for halloumi cheese while you can make it at home? You will be amazed how easy it is!

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I like making things from scratch, especially if it is much expensive to buy from stores. I know, mostly I don’t have time to do everything, but making thing from scratch makes me proudly happy. Being a middle eastern, I grew up eating cheese from that kind- the white and salty brined cheese, the twisted or Mojadallah, Kashkawan the creamy cheese. There were also many kinds of imported yellow cheeses, but not really my big fan.

The white brined cheese is a kind of cheese which is an everyday stable food on the middle eastern table in savory or sweet dishes, delicious and rich that you can’t stop eating.

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Like the Nabulsi and Akawi cheese, halloumi is one of many kinds of traditional white Middle Eastern brined cheese. Originally from Cyprus and also known in various countries of the middle east, particularly in Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is produced mainly from goat and sheep milk, although cow’s milk is now widely used in making this kind of cheese(the one which I used with the addition of more fresh cream to the milk), or a combination of the sheep and cow’s milk.

I like to add flavors to the cheese, with mahlab (Prunus mahaleb) and mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) added to the boiling brine, or sometimes flavored with black sesame seed which added to the brine after boiling.

Halloumi texture is firm and rubbery until grilled or pan-fried, then It becomes crispy on the outside and soft and elastic In the middle. It is commonly used as a salty table cheese, it can be fried in oil, or grilled. The flavor is similar to mozzarella, only with more salt.

Halloumi Cheese

Generally, as a table cheese, I enjoy serving it as part of mezze with some fruits and crackers on the side.

It is also used as a filling in savory pastries, like in the Minted Cheese Stuffed Rolls 

Holloumi is wonderful when grilled or fried, served at breakfast or brunch. I like it fried in olive oil, sprinkled with Za’tar spice mix, served with some pita bread and some fresh vegetable. Serve it straight from the pan, as it becomes rubbery when cool.

Hallomi Salad

Equipments to make the cheese:

No special equipment required to make halloumi cheese, but you need at least a large pot to heat the milk, thermometer, colander, sieve, cheese cloth or muslin cotton cloth

Step By Step on How to Make Halloumi at Home:

2 gallons vitamin D cow’s milk
2 cups fresh cream (whipping cream)
1 teaspoon pickling salt + 1/2 more for the brine
1/4 tablet rennet
1/2 cup cold milk
1 teaspoon mahleb
1/2 teaspoon mastic

I started with 2 gallon of milk, full-cream and not homogenized. In a spice infuser, place 1/4 teaspoon crushed mastic gum and 1/4 teaspoon crushed mahleb, immerse in the milk while heated. Heat milk to 85-90 f (use the thermometer) slowly on low heat in heavy stainless steel sauce-pan (do not use aluminum). Add the cream and the pickling salt, stir the milk. Add the dissolved rennet, I used the tablet rennet(follow the instruction on the rennet), dissolve 1/4 tablet (you have to crush it first)into 1/2 cup cold milk, stir then add to the heated milk, stir quickly for 1 min.

Let the milk rest for 45-60 minutes (or until a clean break), covering the pot with a lid and keeping the temperature constant on 85-90 f (you may like to place the pot into a bigger pot with hot water, or wrap it with a warm towel, or keep it in a pre heated oven (warm the oven for couple of minutes then turn the heat off).

To check for a clean break, use a knife to make a cut through the curd.

Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes.

cheese making 1

Using a large hand sieve, take some clotted cheese, shake lightly to drain out some of the whey, place in cheese cloth lined colander. Fold the corners of the cloth over the cheese, and place a heavy weight on the top, let set to drain for 1-2 hours. Reserve the whey.

cheese making 2

The cheese should be firm with spongy consistency. Take the cheese from the mold and cut it into 2″ thick strips, add sprinkle with salt and let aside.

How to Make Hallomi Cheese

Make a brine with 2 quarts of the whey and 1/4 cup pickling salt. Add the mastic and mahlab infuser ball. Bring to a boil, add the cheese pieces, let boil for 1 min, then take the cheese pieces into clean linen lined shallow dish.

cheese making 3

Arrange the cheese in the jars, add the brine to fill the top, sprinkle some nigella seed. Reserve in the refrigerator.

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Some tips:

Using the Rennet

You can use the tablet rennet, follow the directions on how to use it. Usually found at cheese making stores, or at the internet. I bought mine from a pharmacy in the middle east. There is also liquid rennet available. When purchasing the rennet, just make sure to ask about the source, especially if you are seeking kosher.

Flavoring the Cheese

Halloumi has a distinctive flavor. In middle east most white cheeses flavored with mastic and mahlab, or nigella seeds, anise and caraway seeds might be used too, those can be found in middle eastern stores. Some other flavores used is mint, olives, or dried tomato. If you don’t have spice infuser, you can put the mastic and mahlab in small piece of cloth and wrap it around like a purse.

Brine Concentration

Brines used to store these cheeses are normally 16% salt, the minimum for minimizing unwanted bacteria growth.
Higher % salt can be used, but is not required and will make the cheese taste very salty.
Lower % salt will result in a more immediately edible cheese but with shorter shelf life due to unwanted bacteria growth

Base Fluid

Base fluid options for making brine for ripening cheese are water, a mixture of water and whey, or all whey from making cheese.
Using whey gives the brine a higher calcium component, also makes the brine ripened cheese more flavourful.

Before Serving
Because of being reserved in salty brine, soak the cheese in warm water for 1/2 an Hour, to get rid off some of the salt and this will also make the cheese more soft.

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Tuna and Hummus crostini

05 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Good Cooks in Appetizer & Sides, Recipes, Salad

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

appetizer, bell pepper, Bruschetta, canned tuna, crostini, crostini topping, hummus, open faced sandwich, party food, Tuna, tuna salad

Creamy garlicy hummus combined very well with richy lemony flavored tuna topped on toothsome crunch of the crostini, all in one bite.

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Did you see “THE CROODS” movie? what’s the most funny scene you liked?

Last weekend, we had a chance to see “THE CROODS” movie. Honestly, I wasn’t so excited about it at the beginning, but the kids insist to go see it, and since there is nothing to do -especially in rainy days- but the movie theatre, so we went. Believe me, it’s a perfect family movie that isn’t just for the kiddos.

incredibly funny, it just looked silliness from start to finish, but also delivers a sweet message about families and how change can be a good thing. It captures the wonder (and more gently, the anxiety) of discovery time and time again. It holds a very heartfelt message about not fearing everything that’s new and stands different before the norm. Valuable insights about seeing possibilities instead of risks and letting the wondrous power of ideas, as opposed to the cave dark’s status quo, lead the way towards enlightenment.

 

“The Croods” is about a family of cavemen who forced to come out of their cave and start living in the world. Grug (Nicolas Cage) is the father and he wants the family to live in fear, he has thereby a valid reasons for his overprotective rule – no one gets to leave the safety of the cave that constitutes their home. “New is never a good thing”, as he stipulates repeatedly with a decided undertone of fear.

But his oldest daughter Eep(Emma Stone)-the self-dependent teenage daughter- longs for a life outside the cave, has grown tired of their eventless existence. She wants to get out and explore. Live, instead of just surviving. One day meets a boy named Guy(Ryan Reynolds) who shows her the light, introducing such revolutionary concepts as making a fire and cracking jokes. He talks about how the world is going to change and convinces her to get the family to leave the cave, from there it’s about “old ways vs. new ways” as the boy and Grug clash over what to do to protect the family.

Sure, as a point of view, the movie encounter along the usual lines of family values, trust and father-daughter relationships, to encourage children to disregard their parent’s safety warnings, but the resolution is actually really touching.

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Crostini, Bruschetta, or open faced sandwich, or whatever name you call it, all is just a fancy names for baguette slices that have been brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and baked until golden brown. Crostini, as a small version of bruschetta, makes a perfect choice for parties and gathering, and a good start to any meal as an appetizers or garnishes with foods such as soups.

Crostini served with any topping of your choice makes it perfect as hors d’oeuvres. The creamy garlicy hummus makes a good choice to top with, I prefer the homemade version, but the store bought will serve well too. Top the hummus with a right a mount of lemony flavored tuna that is loaded with sweet crunchy peppers and celery, all on top of crusty toasted little salty bread slices.

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Tuna and Hummus crostini

14 ounces canned  tuna in water
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced bell pepper (any color available)
2 tablespoon minced red or yellow onion
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon e.v. olive oil
french baghette sliced 1/2 inch thick
Hummus, homemade (recipe comming later)
Fresh radishes, sliced
fresh cucumber, sliced

Drain the water from the tuna. Place the tuna in a mixing bowl and flake it with a fork. Add the celery, onion, yellow pepper, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

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Preheat the oven at 300 f. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil, sprinckle with salt and pepper, arrange n an oven sheet, toast until crunchy, for about 10 min.

Let the bread cool, spread each slice with a layer of hummus. Spread the tuna salad on each piece of bread, garnish with slices of radish and cucumber, serve immediately.

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Shrimp Avocado and Pasta Salad

21 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Good Cooks in Appetizer & Sides, Recipes, Salad, Seafood, Vegetable

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

avocado, healthy food, kids friendly, lemon olive oil dressing, Lunchbox ideas, Pasta salad, quick lunch, rotini pasta, salads, shrimp

My family’s favorite pasta salad that makes perfect picnic’s main dish and great lunchbox idea.

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With weather changing to warmer temperatures, announcing beginning of spring, although the weather outside is still too cold, but we are getting ready to welcome the summer. Yesterday was the official day of spring, my favorite season.
Spring to me is not only a season, but it also means a lot;

The beginning of life…
Simplicity…
Warmth…
The beauty…
The bright flowers popping through…
Leaves starting to stretch out…
Songs of the new hatch sings…
Buzz of the bees…
Rat a tat tat of the rain…
Picnics and more family fun…

Every time I make this salad it remind me of spring. Cool, easy to prepare, with all beautiful colors; greens, yellow, red, purple, and white. Sure will feast your eyes, and sing a happy symphony in your mouth.

One of my family’s favorite salad, it makes a great lunchbox meal, plus it’s easy to make that the kids would love to share the work preparing it for the next day school lunch. It is also a savory side dish to bring for family gathering and potlucks, a satisfying one dish meal for busy weeknight or weekends, and wonderful main dish salad to prepare for picnics.

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All ingredients complement each other. The juicy sweet and slightly tart tomato, the crunchy cool cucumber, the purple cabbage pop in, all combine to meet with the protein portion shrimp that sucks in all the tangy,lemony juices, while the onion gives a little push, and the cheese lends this very fresh dish the gravity of age, and the olive oil emulsified in for rich, slippery body. The flavors swirl as you slurp it up, bouncing from bright and clean to deep and savory, and once all the pasta gone, you’ll have the nice fresh vegetable salad.

Also, because I make it so often, I also make a lot of variations on it. Sometimes I use different vegetables, or substitute the chicken of shrimp or make it veggies only dish. But it will always be our favorite pasta salad.

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Shrimp Avocado and Pasta Salad

3 cups uncooked Garden Rotini
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup high-quality olive oil
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (sometimes I use Mexican 4 cheese)
about 10 large shrimp (I prefer raw wild caught, but the frozen and cooked will work too)
2-3 Bay leaves
1 large avocado cut in cubes
1/2 cup diced green or orange bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh italian leave parsley, chopped
1 cup grab or cherry tomato, cut in halves
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup purple cabbage, chopped

In a pot, bring 3 quart of water to rabid boil. Add salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil (this helps the pasta not to stick together). Cook the pasta uncovered on medium heat until tender, about 10-12 min. Rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and put into a large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, dried basil leaves, oregano, and parmesan cheese, mix well, let the pasta soak all the juices.

P1

Meanwhile in another pot bring water to boil, you may add some bay leaves, add the raw shrimp boil for 5 min, the color will change to pink. Rinse with water to stop cooking then take off the shells and clean. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder, mix together.

In the pasta bowl, add the shrimp and the remaining ingredients and gently mix until well combined. Test for seasoning.

Serve chilled.

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Tuna Salad My Way

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Good Cooks in Recipes, Salad, Sandwiches & Pizza

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

cold sandwich, fish and seafood, light lunch, radishes, sandwiches, Tuna, tuna salad, tuna sandwich

    Reinvent the tuna salad with few unexpected flavor booster.

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Can anyone know how Collin’s novels won everyone’s heart and mind?
I mean her three masterpiece books, the hunger games series. Once you start read you can’t stop. I never obsessed in reading any novel before like this one. Am i alone or you too agree?
Do you think there is a trick? Like in food world, when someone have his own tricks in making lovely and humble recipes?
For me, there is no tricks. It’s just I like to play around, With ingredients I mean ( don’t understand me wrong, hahhhhh…..). With a quirky little twist to the classic, that make my son says why this thing didn’t be this way all the time.
Like this little lovely. Classic tuna salad got renovated when became more healthy. substituting the mayo with the healthy extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Not to mention the extra loads of fresh vegetables zapped with earthy hit of black olives, sweet bite of radishes, floral touch of parsley, and aroma perfumes your taste of basil and mint leaves. Once you have the Flavors in your head, they’re impossible to get out. Let the whole classic world wonder why things haven’t always been made this way.
Plus, from my middle eastern side, I like to stuff everything in between the pita pocket. That makes it more likely to be a good choice for light, healthy and quick-lunch idea. Great idea for school lunch too, just stuff it when served to not let the bread soak with the juices and become mushy.

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Tuna Salad Sandwich

1 5 oz can of tuna solid chunk in water
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1\4 cup chopped lettuce
1 small radish chopped
1\4 cup chopped cucumber or small thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped carrots or thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sliced black olives
2 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 5-6 sliced mild sweet pepper
1\2 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1\2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oilMix all chopped vegetable together with the tuna. Adjust the seasoning, salt, and the amount of lemon according to your liking.
Assemble and stuff it into pita pockets or roll it with tortilla ar your favourite kind of bread.

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And enjoy.

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What other blogs have with tuna salad:

BALSAMIC-CANNELLINI BEAN TUNA SALAD Salad
 
Tuna Salad
 
Apple Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps with  Balsamic Vinegar Paleo Mayo …
 
Lunch Recipe: Tuna Melts with Olive Oil Mayonnaise & Parmesan – Recipes from The Kitchn
 
Tuna, Artichoke, and Israeli Couscous Salad (lattesandleggings.com)
 
Gourmet Tuna

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