Ingredients
Curd
- 6 litreswhole milk — sheep’s, cow’s or a mixture
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ¼ tspmesophilic starter, or 4 tbsp live yoghurt
- ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
Brine
- 1.5 litreswater
- 180 gcoarse non-iodised salt — a 12% brine
- 3 tbspwhey from the cheese
Equipment
- a square mould or tin
Directions
- Warm the milk to 32°C (90°F) and stir in the calcium chloride if using pasteurised shop milk.
- Stir in the starter, cover, and leave 45 minutes for the milk to acidify slightly.
- Stir in the rennet with a few slow strokes, stop the milk moving, and leave undisturbed for an hour until it gives a clean break.
- Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes, rest 10 minutes, then stir gently for 20 minutes at 32°C (90°F).
- Ladle the curd into a cloth-lined square mould and press under a light weight — 2 kg is plenty — for 12 hours, turning once.
- Cut the pressed slab into the thick squares Sjenica cheese is sold in, and pack them into a tin or jar.
- Dissolve the salt in the water, stir in the whey, cool completely, and pour it over so the pieces are submerged. Cold brine only — warm brine softens the surfaces and the squares slump together.
- Ripen in the brine in a cold place for at least three weeks. It goes on improving for two or three months, growing saltier, firmer and more crumbly. Soak a piece briefly in cold water before eating if it is too salty.
Technique
- Whey in the brine. Plain salt water pulls calcium from the surface and leaves it slimy.
- Twelve percent brine, cold. Both matter.
- The Pešter plateau is one of the coldest inhabited plains in Europe and the cheese is a product of that cold as much as of the milk.
Substitutions
- Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter.
- Vegetarian microbial rennet.
- Cow’s milk, which is milder than the traditional sheep’s.
Variations
- Eaten fresh after pressing, before the brine, when it is mild and squeaky.
- The Bulgarian sirene and Romanian telemea are close relatives.
History
Made around Sjenica on the Pešter plateau, one of Europe’s coldest inhabited plains; it holds Serbian protected designation of origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sjenički sir?
Sjenički sir is a cheese & dairy from Serbia: white brined cheese from the high Pešter plateau, salty and crumbly. Made around Sjenica on the Pešter plateau, one of Europe’s coldest inhabited plains; it holds Serbian protected designation of origin.
How long does Sjenički sir take to make?
Sjenički sir takes 45 min plus 12 hours pressing and 3 weeks in brine of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 800 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Sjenički sir?
Yes, within limits. Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter. Vegetarian microbial rennet. Cow’s milk, which is milder than the traditional sheep’s.
