Marinated Adyghe cheese is a wonderful appetizer on its own or as a savory addition to a light vegetable salad.

Pickled cheese is a popular snack in Germany, Greece, France and other European countries famous for their cheeses. Usually soft varieties are taken for pickling, but hard aged cheeses can also be used.

For salads and snacks, you can also use the butter in which the cheese was marinated.

Optionally, you can knead a piece of cheese in it.

Advice:

• when working with hot peppers, it is recommended to work with thin rubber gloves
• olive oil is preferable, but for a change you can try sesame
• when cutting cheese, it is desirable that all the pieces are the same, small cubes will pickle faster
• the longer the cheese is marinated, the tastier this appetizer becomes
• pickled cheese is stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks

In this recipe, you can use not only Adyghe cheese, but also suluguni.

Ingredients:

• 250 g of Adyghe cheese
• 150 ml olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig of mint and basil
• half chili
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

Recipe:

1. Cut the cheese into 1-1.5 cm cubes. Chop mint, basil, pepper, garlic.

2. Place layers of cheese, mint, basil, garlic, pepper and zest in a suitable sized jar.

3. Pour with lemon juice and olive oil to cover the cheese completely. Leave it on for at least a day.

Serve with fresh bread, vegetables and wine.

Marinade recipe for Adyghe cheese with garlic

So you can also marinate feta cheese, Russian cheese and mozzarella.

Ingredients:

• cheese - 400 g
• olive oil
• garlic - 6 cloves
• hot chili pepper - 1/4 piece
• dried rosemary - a pinch
• allspice peas - 1 teaspoon

Cooking method:

1. Cut the cheese into cubes. Peel the garlic and cut into thin petals. Grind allspice in a mortar or grind in another way.

2. Wash hot pepper, dry with a napkin and cut into thin rings.

3. Transfer everything to a jar, fill with oil, close the lid and put in the refrigerator for 1-2 days so that the cheese is well marinated.

Marinated curd cheese Adyghe

Ingredients:

• 500 g of Adyghe cheese
• 150-200 g sun-dried tomatoes
• 1-2 pods of red chili
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 200 ml vegetable oil
• garlic - 1 clove
• dried dill
• oregano
• salt to taste

How to do:

1. Cut the cheese into neat cubes with a side of 1-3 centimeters.

2. Prepare the marinade. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces, put them in a bowl, chop the garlic there, add salt, dried dill, oregano, sugar and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour the spice mixture with 1 tablespoon of vinegar, pour in the oil. Stir again. Put the cheese in a container with a lid, for example, a jar, put whole red chili peppers there and pour the marinade, then put it in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Cheese is the leading snack food. There is always a place for him at the hospitable table. It is also present in the daily diet. Hard, semi-hard, soft and pickled varieties delight with their variety. And yet, gourmands who know a lot about cheese never stop looking for new recipes. Pickled cheese will become an unusual appetizer for gourmets, which will take a little more than 5 minutes to prepare. Perhaps it will become your signature dish.

Marinated cheese is good both on its own and as an addition to salads. Its rich spicy taste will be appreciated by those who like to pamper themselves with a glass of wine. We offer you to try 2 options of the marinade at once, each of which is able to give the cheese a special taste.

For cooking you will need:

• 500 g of cheese;
• one and a half lemon;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns;
• 1 pod of red pepper (can be replaced with 1 tsp);
• 1 tbsp Provencal herbs to choose from (rosemary, mint, thyme, sage, basil, oregano);
• olives or olives to taste;
• 1 tsp paprika;
• 1 tbsp honey;
• 400 ml of sunflower or olive oil.

Cut the cheese into small cubes, chop the garlic and pepper, finely chop or mince the lemon, prepare the spices.

Divide the cheese into 2 parts and put it in jars.

We prepare 2 options for the marinade:

• 1st method: mix chopped lemon, a little red pepper, garlic and selected herbs with 200 ml of vegetable oil.
• 2nd method: fry chopped garlic in 200 ml of vegetable oil and strain it. Add honey to the semi-cooled oil, let it dissolve. After cooling down, put red pepper, half a lemon, olives or olives, basil and paprika.

Fill the cheese with marinade and send it to the refrigerator for at least a day. It is worth considering that the longer the cheese stays in the marinade, the tastier it will be.

You can endlessly experiment with cheese options and marinades. Olives or chopped sun-dried tomatoes will be a perfect addition to soft varieties. It is better to put them in a jar in layers.

Homemade marinated cheese is a delicious appetizer for a festive dinner. There are many options for making cheese, but the basic ingredients are always the same. The recipes for this appetizer come from Mediterranean cuisine.

What is the snack suitable for?

Pickled cheese can be used to complement light alcohol like wine. Another appetizer is perfect for sharing with salads. But you can also serve it as a separate dish, for example, as a canapé.

Also, pickled cheese is added to dishes instead of regular cheese to add spice. And many housewives use it instead of the usual one when making pizza.

What kind of cheese is used to make snacks?

You can use both soft and hard cheese to prepare this snack. Of the soft, the following are most preferable:

• Adyghe;
• tofu;
• feta cheese;
• paneer;
• feta.

The latter makes an excellent pickled feta cheese.

Their hard cheeses can be used for the following:

• Parmesan;
• Cheddar;
• Russian;
• edam;
• gouda;
• beaufort.

What is the difference between hard cheese and soft cheese and which one is better to choose for pickling?

The first and most important difference between the two varieties from each other is texture. Hard cheeses are quite dense and elastic, soft cheeses are slightly watery and resemble cottage cheese. It is not for nothing that in many European languages, cottage cheese and cheese are designated by one word.

Soft cheeses are higher in calories and contain more milk fat than hard ones. But soft ones also have more liquid.

As for the choice of cheese, you should rely only on personal preference.

What spices and herbs can I use?

The marinated cheese has a spicy taste and pleasant aroma. This effect is achieved through the use of a variety of herbs and spices. For the preparation of pickled cheese, herbs such as:

• oregano or oregano;
• Basil (both fresh and dried)
• rosemary;
• dill (both fresh and dried);
• parsley;
• thyme or thyme;
• sage;
• marjoram;
• tarragon or tarragon.

Spices give the pickled cheese not only taste and spiciness, but also a beautiful color. For example, turmeric has a bright orange color, which makes cheese made with turmeric brighter. In addition to turmeric, it is used:

• paprika;
• chilli;
• caraway;
• ajgon (ajwain or ayovan);
• cumin.

All housewives know that pickling always means adding vinegar. But not all recipes use it. This feature is due to the fact that lemon juice can be added instead of vinegar.

Hard cheese

To make pickled cheese in oil, you will need:

1. About four hundred grams of any hard cheese.
2. About two hundred grams of vegetable oil.
3. Six cloves of garlic.
4. Spices (allspice, rosemary - a pinch of each).
5. A small piece of hot pepper.

The cooking instructions are as follows:

1. The cheese is cut into large cubes.
2. Peel the garlic, wash and cut into large flat pieces.
3. Hot peppers are also peeled, washed and cut into thin strips.
4. It is recommended to grind spices in any way. You can grind it in a mortar.
5. Put all the ingredients in one container and mix thoroughly.
6. Transfer the cheese to a liter glass jar.
7. Pour it with vegetable oil - it should completely cover the cheese.
8. The jar is sealed and refrigerated for a day.

After 24 hours the snack will be ready to eat.

Hard pickled cheese: recipe

Ingredients:

• about three hundred grams of hard cheese;
• two hundred and fifty grams of olive oil;
• thirty grams of liquid honey (candied can be melted);
• 1 tablespoon each of dried basil and sweet paprika;
• one teaspoon and a mixture of ground peppers;
• half a lemon;
• three cloves of garlic;
• a pinch of salt if the cheese is unsalted.

Cooking instructions:

1. The cheese is cut into large cubes and placed in a glass jar.
2. Peel the garlic, wash and fry in ½ tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Lemon juice is squeezed into a separate container. Add olive oil, spices, salt (if necessary), honey and fried garlic to it.
4. Pour the sliced ​​cheese with marinade, close the jar hermetically and leave in the refrigerator for two days.

Pickled soft cheese recipe

Ingredients for cooking:

• about 300 grams of Adyghe, tofu or any other soft cheese;
• 200 ml of olive oil;
• several olives (five to six pieces);
• two or three cloves of garlic;
• peppercorns - ten to twelve peas;
• a small bunch of fresh basil;
• on a sprig of several Provencal herbs (oregano, rosemary, marjoram, sage and others);
• one chili pepper;
• salt to taste.

Cooking instructions:

1. The oil is poured into a saucepan, peeled and finely chopped garlic and pepper are added to it. The mixture is heated over low heat, but not brought to a boil. You can add salt to taste. It is recommended to add salt if the cheese itself is unsalted.
2. Peppers (you don't have to cut them) and herbs are put in a jar for cheese.
3. The cheese is cut into cubes and stacked in layers in a glass jar. The first layer is cheese, the second is finely chopped basil and olives. Layers are repeated until the jar is completely full.
4. Pour everything over with heated olive oil. Close the jar tightly and leave for several hours at room temperature to cool the oil.
5. After cooling, the jar is left in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After this time, the snack is ready to eat.

The second recipe for pickled soft cheese

For cooking, you need to take:

• about one hundred grams of soft cheese (Adyghe, feta, paneer, and so on);
• a third of a teaspoon of paprika, sumach or turmeric;
• half tsp. cumin or cumin;
• half a teaspoon of dried basil;
• a third of a teaspoon of tarragon, rosemary or thyme;
• half tsp. oregano;
• a little salt and hot pepper;
• about one teaspoon of vinegar, or lemon juice can be used instead - 30-45 ml;
• 220-250 ml of any vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. The cheese is carefully cut into cubes and placed in a container such as a glass jar.
2. In a separate container, mix vinegar (lemon juice) with vegetable oil.
3. Herbs and spices are added to the cheese, mixed thoroughly.
4. Pour in marinade.
5. Leave in the refrigerator for two to three days. After this time, the cheese is ready to eat.

The third recipe for pickled soft cheese

For cooking, you must use:

• about two hundred grams of soft cheese;
• sixty milliliters of lemon juice;
• one clove of garlic;
• one pinch of marjoram, rosemary and oregano;
• one pinch of sweet black paprika and hot ground pepper;
• thirty grams of honey;
• two hundred grams of olive oil.

Preparation:

1. Cut the cheese into equal slices and put in a glass jar.
2. In a separate container, mix olive oil with spices, lemon juice and honey. Add finely chopped garlic to the mixture.
3. The marinade must be heated to a temperature of 50 ° C. This can be done over low heat or in the microwave.
4. Pour the cheese over with heated marinade, close tightly and cool at room temperature. After cooling, the snack should be left in the refrigerator for two days. After this time, the pickled cheese is ready.

Peculiarities

When marinating soft cheeses, it is important to use acidic ingredients such as vinegar (regular or apple cider) or lemon juice. This is necessary due to the fact that soft cheeses have a light, "curd" texture, and the acid gives some elasticity to the product. Thanks to this, the product does not crumble after pickling.

When preparing pickled cheese, you need to be able to choose the right combination of herbs. The combination of basil and thyme (thyme) will add pungency and piquancy to the dish, the combination of tarragon (tarragon) with basil - a pleasant spicy aroma, and rosemary and basil - a noble peppery aroma. Basil is present in almost every pickled cheese recipe. This is due to the special aromatic components that are found in the plant. Basil gives the dish a light spicy aroma and some astringency in the taste.

Sage is used in pickling because it has a bright and pleasant aroma, and also gives the cheese a spice. For pickling, the most commonly used type of muscat plant. But do not add a lot of sage to the dish, because the bright aroma of the herb can interrupt and drown out the smells of other seasonings and spices.

Salt is an important ingredient in this snack. She can "both save and kill." It is recommended to add salt only when marinating fresh-tasting cheeses. It must be completely eliminated, for example, when cooking such types as feta cheese or parmesan. They have a salty taste, which should not be enhanced. On the contrary, it is recommended to add a little salt when preparing Adyghe cheese.

Many chefs prefer to add sun-dried tomatoes, among other ingredients that have been previously described in recipes. They will add a slight sourness to the dish and ultimately make the taste of the product unique and stand out from others.

When marinating, it is important to constantly stir the ingredients, that is, periodically it is necessary to remove the jar from the refrigerator and shake it well. This will help speed up the process as well as make it even so that all the pieces of cheese marinate the same way.

This is an unusual dish with a spicy taste. It is not necessary to strictly adhere to the recipe when cooking, you can add other ingredients or change the look: why not make pickled soy cheese?

Yes, you can experiment not only with oil or salt, vinegar or lemon juice. You can change the types of cheeses and use not only those given in the article, but others as well. Who knows, maybe it will be possible to discover some new recipe for making cheese in a marinade, which many will like and will take pride of place on the table? Indeed, it is in experiments that real culinary masterpieces are born.

Step 1: prepare the cheese.

You can take several types of cheese, but it is better to harvest them in different banks.
As for the slicing. You can not cut mini mozzarella in balls at all, leave it like this, but cut a large piece into cubes with sides 2-3 centimeters.


It's the same with feta, just cut it into cubes by 2-3 centimeters.

Step 2: prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Rinse all prepared herbs and cut into small pieces, but do not grind.
Olives or olives, whichever you choose, rinse with cool running water from the brine.


You can add sun-dried tomatoes to the cheese, this is not necessary, but it will definitely make your snack tastier.

Cut hot peppers into rings, you can leave the seeds if you want to make the cheese and butter spicy.

Use extra virgin olive oil.

Step 3: marinate the cheese in olive oil.

When all the ingredients are ready, do not forget about the jars, they should be clean and sterilized, like the lids for them.
Place pieces of cheese mixed with spices, olives, tomatoes and herbs in jars. Shake the jars from time to time to distribute the spices well.


Finally, cover everything with olive oil, close tightly and refrigerate for at least one to two weeks so that the cheese and butter are saturated with the aromas and flavors of spices and seasonings.
If you need to get the pickled cheese faster, pour hot olive oil over it, cover it, cool to room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator. You can definitely try such an appetizer in a couple of days.

Step 4: Serve the cheese in olive oil.

Cheese in olive oil is a flavorful appetizer first of all, and only then a component of salads and sandwiches. Even just pulling pieces of cheese out of a jar is very tasty. Try it.
Bon Appetit!

When you have eaten all the cheese, use the remaining spicy oil to make salads. You can even leave a couple of slices of cheese in the butter and mash it with a fork for a great salad dressing.

If you have children in your home, try to make the cheese less spicy and peppery.

Everyone knows the catch phrase about cheese in butter. It is said to have come from the tradition of putting cheese in barrels of butter, which are then rolled to cover the cheese on all sides, and it will last longer. I recently learned that a similar method was used - and is still being used - in the Balkans. But the Slavic brothers have this hive, that is, vegetable oil, which is poured into cheese. And although the problem of preserving cheese is a thing of the past, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and other countries are still making “sire from the beehive”.

Today it is no longer a preservation method, but a way to add new flavors to cheese. Sometimes cheese is simply poured with butter, sometimes various aromatic ingredients are added to it, after which such pickled cheese is caught with skewers and eaten as a snack - simple but very tasty. Don't be afraid to use quality olive oil - after the cheese runs out, you can use the oil to make a salad dressing or simply soak it in fresh bread.

Pickled cheese in oil

Low

5 minutes

Ingredients

4 servings

200 g hard cheese

100 ml olive oil

a few sprigs of rosemary

1/2 tsp allspice

The recipe for pickled cheese in oil is very simple: initially this method was used in the Balkans as a preservation method, and now cheese is pickled in order to enrich it with new flavors. Pickled cheese can be served as a snack for any drink, and soak the rest of the marinade in fresh bread.
Alexey Onegin

Use a hard, aged cheese made from cow's milk or goat's milk for this snack. I found Serbian in the store, and bought it to preserve its authenticity, but now, fortunately, there are quite decent hard cheeses made in Russia. Cut the cheese into small cubes about 1 cm side.