Persian cheese ball
January 2, 2013 • Category: Eggs/Dairy/Cheese
This is another Persian recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij that appealed to me; it contains lots of walnuts and herbs so it could easily be a light lunch or stuffed in a flour tortilla for quesadillas. Hope y’all had good holidays, personally I am relieved that they have come and gone.
Najmieh’s original recipe calls for specific herbs like fresh basil and tarragon; I substituted what is available locally, namely two varieties of zaatar (oregano); I also used feta instead of the Persian farmer’s cheese.
- 1 cup of white farmer’s cheese or FETA
- 2 cups of walnuts, toasted briefly
- 2 Tbsp each of green onions, basil, tarragon and mint
- 1 clove of garlic mashed
- salt, pepper, to taste
- Juice of a lime (I added sumac instead)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (skipped)
METHOD:
- If using feta, place it in a bowl with cold water to cover and change the water every 20 minutes until the salt is reduced. Drain the cheese; place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and chop fine; add the cheese, herbs and all other ingredients and chop till the cheeese is smooth. Transfer to a bowl and serve with crackers or toasts or stuff in a flour tortilla and bake.
Comments
14 Comments • Comments Feed
Ahu says:
I love her book… It’s the Persian cooking bible! Great recipe, we also made it with dill.
On January 2, 2013 at 9:08 am
Belinda @zomppa says:
I could eat this with almost anything!
On January 2, 2013 at 9:08 am
Rosa says:
Delicious! A tasty combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
On January 2, 2013 at 9:13 am
Devaki@weaveflavors says:
Hi Joumana,
First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your lovely family! Secondly, love all your recipes but this one loaded with good fresh cheese, nuts and herbs is impossible to resist!
Looking forward to our continuing friendship on and off the blogosphere.
hugs! Devaki
On January 2, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Sarah G says:
This looks so good. I suppose it would also be good with some fresh homemade ricotta or yogurt cheese mixed with the feta. Happy New Year! Love your recipes.
On January 2, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Oui, Chef says:
How pretty….and I bet it tastes just amazing with the nuts and herbs. So nice to make this fresh.
On January 2, 2013 at 2:58 pm
josé antonio says:
It looks amazing. It’s the best way to start a meal.
Happy new year.
On January 2, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Susan says:
Delicious combination of cheese, nuts, garlic and lime! Such simple, delicious flavors.
On January 2, 2013 at 7:57 pm
PJ says:
Happy New Year Joumana.The cheese ball looks very tempting. I prepare something similar using Indian cottage cheese…
On January 4, 2013 at 1:23 am
Jamie says:
A very very Happy New Year to you, Joumana! And I love this recipe! We all love feta (although I can see this baing made with fresh goat cheese, too) and I love what you did to it. Even the crunch of the walnuts is brilliant!
On January 4, 2013 at 3:04 am
Isabelle says:
Quelle belle et délicieuse recette ! Certainement sur la liste des recettes à essayer en 2013. Merci et Bonne, Heureuse Année.
On January 4, 2013 at 4:07 am
domi says:
Voilà une bien délicieuse recette fromagère qui me donne envie de rejouer à la ” ball-ball “. Je te souhaite une merveilleuse année remplie de superbes surprises.
On January 4, 2013 at 11:39 am
Heavy Hedonist says:
Sumac makes anything better. This is so fresh I can practically taste it on the page.
On January 4, 2013 at 10:06 pm
michelle says:
I want to try this variation next time I make a cheese ball- it looks so different and delcious!! We love feta.
On January 7, 2013 at 7:50 am