I had almost forgotten the joy that feta cheese can add to dishes. For example, the wonderful Greek spinach pie, spanakopita—I had basically given up on this entirely. I’d made and had many vegan versions of it, but without the briny flavor of feta, the flavors just fell flat. After much knocking around in my noggin, I came up with the perfect vegan substitute.
Salty and briny, this feta works beautifully crumbled over salads or slightly melted in all of the traditional dishes. Best of all, stored in brine, it keeps for weeks, getting stronger in flavor and more delicious as time goes by (in fact, it vastly improves after a month, so make this weeks ahead of time if you can). Reprinted by permission from The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner, © 2015. Photographs by Eva Kolenko, © 2015 Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Makes: 1 pound
- 2 cups blanched almonds, soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours
- 1 cup juice from sauerkraut**
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons agar powder
Brine
- 6 cups water
- 3/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt
Drain and rinse the almonds. Place them in a high-speed blender with the sauerkraut juice and salt, and process on the highest setting for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and no longer grainy to the tongue.
Pour the mixture into a clean container and cover with a non-permeable lid or plastic wrap. Leave on your kitchen counter for 1 to 2 days to culture, making sure you taste it each day, until it begins to get tangy.
Keep in mind there is no hard and fast rule about how long it needs to culture—your taste buds will have to guide you in determining the right length of time. In warmer weather, it could be just a day, while in cooler weather, it could take 2 days or even longer.
Once the cheese is slightly tangy, you can move onto solidifying it. First, prepare the mold for the cheese by lining an 8-inch square pan with cheesecloth.
Combine the water and agar in a medium saucepan and whisk well. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a simmer over low heat. Don’t peek for 3 to 4 minutes, then check to see if it is bubbling away. At first, if you peek too early, it may look as if it has solidified. However, if you let it simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes more, it will start to liquefy again and bubble away.
When the agar is fully dissolved, pour in the cultured almond mixture and whisk immediately until fully combined. Pour the cheese mixture into the cheesecloth-lined pan. Refrigerate for several hours, until hard.
Prepare the brine by whisking together the water and the salt in a large bowl until most of the salt is dissolved. Cut the cheese into four pieces and place in the brine. Cover and let sit for 8 hours at room temperature.
Transfer the cheese to a storage container and pour the brine over the cheese until it is halfway submerged. Add more plain water to completely cover the cheese and dilute the brine. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 months. The flavor vastly improves after the first 3 to 4 weeks.
* In the book, Miyoko gives a step-by-step on how to make your own rejuvelac for aging and fermenting foods. Sauerkraut juice is given here as well as in the book for ease of use.
Visit Miyoko Schinner at Artisan Vegan Life, and find our more about her cultured nut products at Miyoko’s Kitchen.
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from Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes: VegKitchen.com http://ift.tt/1cJE06H
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