Queijo de cabra

Ingredients

Cheese

• 3 litreswhole goat’s milk
• ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
• ¼ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
• 2 tspsalt

To serve

• papaya jam or guava paste
• olive oil and black pepper, if grilling

Directions

1. Warm the milk gently to 32°C (90°F). Stir in the calcium chloride if the milk is pasteurised from a shop — goat’s milk sets weakly at the best of times and without it the curd may not hold together at all.
2. Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, then stop the milk moving completely and leave it undisturbed for 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Test for a clean break: push a finger in at an angle and lift. The curd should split cleanly and clear whey run into the gap. If it is still ragged, give it another 15 minutes.
4. Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes and leave 10 minutes, then stir very gently for 15 minutes. Goat curd is fragile and rough handling shatters it into grains that will not knit.
5. Ladle the curd into muslin-lined moulds or a colander, sprinkling the salt between the layers as you go.
6. Let it drain at room temperature for two hours, then in the fridge for four more. Do not press it — this is a soft fresh cheese and pressing makes it rubbery.
7. Turn out and eat within three days. Serve with papaya jam, or brush with oil and grill briefly on a hot pan until it colours.

Technique

• Goat’s milk sets a much softer curd than cow’s. Work slowly and expect it to be delicate; that softness is the cheese, not a fault.
• Salt between the layers rather than mixing it through. Salt stirred into the curd stops it knitting and the cheese falls apart when turned out.
• It is at its best on day one and noticeably sharper by day three. There is no ripening here to wait for.

Substitutions

• Lemon juice in place of rennet — 4 tablespoons stirred into milk at 85°C (185°F) — which gives a crumblier, more ricotta-like cheese.
• Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well with goat’s milk.
• Cow’s milk, which sets more firmly and needs no calcium chloride.

Variations

• Left to drain a further day and rolled in herbs, it firms into something sliceable.
• Grilled in slices and served with honey, which is how it appears on Fogo and Santo Antão.

History

Goats have been the islands’ most viable livestock since Portuguese settlement in the fifteenth century, and fresh curd cheese is made on Fogo and Santo Antão.

Frequently asked questions

What is Queijo de cabra?

Queijo de cabra is a cheese & dairy from Cape Verde: fresh tangy goat cheese eaten with papaya jam or grilled. Goats have been the islands’ most viable livestock since Portuguese settlement in the fifteenth century, and fresh curd cheese is made on Fogo and Santo Antão.

How long does Queijo de cabra take to make?

Queijo de cabra takes 30 min plus 6 hours draining of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 400 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Queijo de cabra?

Yes, within limits. Lemon juice in place of rennet — 4 tablespoons stirred into milk at 85°C (185°F) — which gives a crumblier, more ricotta-like cheese. Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well with goat’s milk. Cow’s milk, which sets more firmly and needs no calcium chloride.

What is the most important thing to get right in Queijo de cabra?

Let it drain at room temperature for two hours, then in the fridge for four more. Do not press it — this is a soft fresh cheese and pressing makes it rubbery.