Jâñu Siers

Desription
Jânis' cheese (in Latvian)

Ingredients

 * 4 – 5 lbs dry cottage cheese or ricotta
 * 10 quarts milk
 * 1 tsp yellow food colouring (optional)
 * 2 – 3 tbsp oil
 * cheesecloth
 * 5 – 6 oz butter
 * 6 eggs
 * 1 tbsp caraway seeds
 * 1 tbsp salt
 * 1 – 2 tsp lemon juice (may be unnecessary)

Directions

 * 1) Drain off any liquid in the cottage cheese.
 * 2) Put it through a cuisinart or blender to make sure it is finely ground.
 * 3) Use a large dutch oven or stock pot.
 * 4) Put oil in pot, add milk.
 * 5) Heat to boiling.
 * 6) Then add cottage cheese and keep stirring.
 * 7) If milk mixture doesn't curdle within about 5 minutes, add the lemon juice.
 * 8) When curdled, strain off all liquid.
 * 9) Place cheese mass in cheesecloth (gauze) and wring out any remaining moisture.
 * 10) Melt the butter in the pot, put in the cheese mass and heat until hot.
 * 11) Meanwhile beat eggs together with salt and caraway sees.
 * 12) Gradually add beaten egg mixture to heated cheese mass.
 * 13) Mix well and keep on stirring until it all balls up and becomes a bit stretchy.
 * 14) Remove from heat and pack into a number of small round-bottomed bowls (alternately, shape into small cheese wheels, and wrap in cheesecloth)
 * 15) Cover, and keep cool.