Cottage cheese is one of those ingredients that is never on hand, at least in my house. And finding an organic cottage cheese, or paneer, requires a lengthy trip to a market that sells such things. Fortunately, it takes only a few minutes to make your own, and it tastes better!

To make a simple cottage cheese, all you need are two ingredients: milk and an acid to curdle the milk. To make a simple paneer, or farmer’s cheese, you only need to make your cottage cheese and press it flat. So easy!

Homemade Paneer – Pressed Cottage Cheese

Fill a pot with 4 cups milk. On a medium heat, bring milk to a simmer. Allow to simmer for a minute or two.

Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice. The milk should begin to curdle. If not, cover and set aside for about 10 minutes.

Over a bowl, separate curds from whey by pouring them through a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer.

Stir in a little salt, to taste.

Wrap them up and squeeze out more of the liquid (whey).

You can keep the whey! It still has vitamins and minerals. You can use it in breads, pizza crust, soak grains in it, water the plants, or substitute for buttermilk.

With curds still in cheesecloth, flatten and place a flat plate on top.

Weight down the plate. Allow cheese to sit and compress for about 30 minutes.

Remove cheesecloth. Refrigerate cheese to firm it up a bit more. Slice into squares.

Homemade Paneer, aka Farmer’s Cheese

This makes a small amount of cheese, usually enough for whatever recipe I need it for… Double the recipe if you want more.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk (not UHT pasteurized)
• 1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• salt, to taste

Also needed: cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag, strainer, large bowl, pot

Method

Fill a pot with 4 cups milk. On a medium heat, bring milk to a simmer. Allow to simmer for a minute or two. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice. The milk should begin to curdle. If not, cover and set aside for about 10 minutes.

Over a bowl, separate curds from whey by pouring them through a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer. Stir in a little salt, to taste. Wrap them up and squeeze out more of the liquid (whey). With curds still in cheesecloth, flatten and place a flat plate on top. Weight down the plate. Allow cheese to sit and compress for about 30 minutes.

Remove cheesecloth. Refrigerate cheese to firm it up a bit more. Slice into squares.

Refrigerate until you are ready to enjoy it.

Enjoy!

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