Buried Cheese (Joopta Doomirtah)
An old Assyrian buried cheese recipe, with a great story to go with it!
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 195kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 ounces Asiago or kasseri cheese (or a combination of both)
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese (or additional Asiago/Kasseri)
Instructions
- Grate the cheese using a medium grater or a food processor. Add gorgonzola, if using.
- Soak the anise, caraway, and cumin seeds in water for 10 minutes, to soften.
- Drain the seeds, pat dry with a paper towel, and add to the cheese.
- Grab handfuls of the cheese and seeds and rub between your hands, and drop back into the bowl. Or use a fork in a similar fashion to cutting butter into flour when making a pastry crust. Continue doing this until the cheese no longer resembles grated cheese and begins to clump together. This process helps the flavors of the seeds to infuse into the cheese.
- Pour the cheese into a glass jar or a plastic container. Press down with your hands to compact the cheese. Why? Because that's what mom did, don't question mom!
- To serve, simply spoon a few tablespoons of cheese into toasted pita bread pockets. Serve with Kalamata olives and hot tea.
Video
Notes
- Store the buried cheese in an airtight container for up to a month.
- Although not traditional, buried cheese also goes great on pizza, especially shawarma pizza.
Nutrition
Serving: 2oz | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0g