Oh Nuts!
(Yes, I know that cows are milked and not nuts. You may call it a fermented nut spread if you like.) can be made from a large variety of nuts and seeds. It is a relatively simple process but there are 4-5 stages of preparation.
1 Soak the nuts
2 Prepare and age “dough” mixture with probiotics
3 Flavor the cheese
4 Store the cheese in a ring in the refrigerator
5 Dehydrate de-ringed cheese
The nuts are soaked to remove phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. The phytic acid will inhibit mineral absorption. Soaking can increase mineral absorbtion tenfold or more. Nuts also have enzyme inhibitors which make digestion difficult; soaking the nuts will “wake up” “hibernating” enzymes which will enhance digestion. The soaking time will vary from nut to nut, seed to seed:
Almonds 8-12 hours
Brazil Nuts 3-8 hours
Cashews 2-6 hours
Hazelnuts 8 hours
Macadamia Nuts 7-12 hours
Pecan Nuts 4-6 hours
Pistachio Nuts and Pine Seeds 6 hours
Walnuts 4-7 hours
Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds 6-8 hours
Soak in fresh water. Rinse and strain to complete.
Blend or process soaked nuts and seeds in food processor. The trick is to add as little water as possible. The amount of water added will depend upon the mixture of nuts and seeds used. Here are some examples:
Add approximately 1 cup of water to 400 grams of macadamia nuts.
Add approximately ½ cup of water to 400 grams of cashew.
Play around, be adventurous and use mixtures of different nuts and seeds.
When the “dough like” mixture has been formed add probiotics. I like to use VLS3 (extremely high quality and price). It can be found behind the counter at your local pharmacist. I use one packet per 400 grams. Alternatively, one could use two capsules of probiotics (discard the casing and use just the powder). The dough should be placed in a cheese bag or cloth diaper on a strainer (with ample holes for ventilation) and covered with kitchen towels. Do not leave the cheese to ferment on a hot window sill. The cheese will ferment for a day and a half to two days.
Remove the cheese from its coverings and kneed it. There will probably be a thin crust which can be dissolved with some good knuckle power. Beware of mold which may be found if the cheese is left too long to ferment or in a hot or humid place.
Flavor the cheese.
For 400 grams add
2-3 t fresh lemon juice (important for preservation)
3-4 T nutritional yeast
1-2 t Himalayan salt
Add flavorings for example:
Zatar, olives, dried tomatoes, paprika, sumac, cayenne pepper, oregano, dried fruit, fresh herbs …
For a cheddar cheese use a combination of cumin and turmeric.
The cheese can be rolled and stored in the refrigerator. The cheese should be wrapped well with wax paper. Another possibility is to use a ring. Fill the ring with cheese and wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator for a few hours. The cheese can be removed gently from the ring and served like this.
Should you have access to a dehydrator, the de-ringed cheese can be dried for 2-4 hours. This will give the cheese a nice crust. The dried cheese should be wrapped in wax paper and stored in the refrigerator.
