Normally while drinking a cup of coffee for breakfast, the thinking’s of cottage cheese (Tvorog) would not be brought up. But living in Russia has changed those thinking’s…
In Russia cottage cheese is more than a, “I eat it for losing weight and its great with tuna”, food substance. In Russia it is a mainstay in the food chain…
Sveta just adores Tvorog and would eat it 3 times a day and smile the whole time. I have learned to eat it three times a day and now I smile also… 
Before we get to a recipe for Russian Tvorog. Lets touch on what the difference is between real Russian cottage cheese and what we are use to in America…
Cottage Cheese…
Tvorog…
Russian cottage cheese is much dryer looking and is like a paste that can be formed into balls and blocks very easily. Russian cottage cheese has flavor and does not make a soppy mess of your plate…
In all fairness cottage cheese is not tvorog and tvorog is not cottage cheese. It is just that translation between the East and West ends up calling them the same. Another way to look at them is Curds and Whey and Quark cheese…
Now that we all are confused lets make some Tvorog:
Ingredients:
* 4 liters of raw whole milk (important raw is best and about a gallon)
* 400 gram package of sour cream (kefir can be used as well? (your taste buds is what counts), that is about a pound of sour cream)
Lets Make:
1. In a large pot that is able to be heated in the oven – mix the milk and the sour cream together. You should add the milk to the sour cream a little at a time. That way the sour cream is broken down first and you do not have lumps. Stir thoroughly and it will be a thin mixture when done…
2. Now you need to set aside the mix in a warm place. I cover with a cheese cloth or cotton cloth, it will do also. This keeps the dust and dirt out. Placing it near the stove or oven is a good compromise for a warm spot. Let it stand and do not bother it for about 2-3 days until the mix starts to curdle. (I know, Yuck!) You will know when it is curdled…
3. I say give it 3 days. (That is what I do.) Once it has curdled sufficiently, place the pot in a 250 F (120 C) oven for about an hour. Remove from the oven and let it cool overnight. (Do not let oven get too hot or it will burn)
4. Now we will separate the curd from the whey. (This is what makes Russian cottage cheese better than American cottage cheese.) For this, you will need that cheese cloth that I said to cover the pot with. Just use another pot and or big mixing bowl. Use the cheese cloth as a filter over the new bowl and pour the curds and whey into it, through the cheese cloth. Make sure to tie off and hang above the bowl…
Let it drain for the whole day and or night, and wallah you have a delicious tvorog. To go a step farther you can make farmers cheese. Just squeeze or press the cheese cloth between several clean boards. Leave the tvorog another day while it drains more moisture off. The more moisture that you get out of the tvorog the better when it comes to that rich flavor. The tvorog will keep in the fridge for about a week. But ours never lasts that long…
The best way that we here in Russia buy tvorog is off the back of a truck that you will find all over Moscow. We have one that sells raw milk and tvorog everyday just around the corner…
That is what I love about Russia…
Yummy for your Tummy!
Windows to Russia!
- Sveta Drinks Tea and I Drink Coffee… (windowstorussia.com)
- Thoughts by Coffee in Russia… (windowstorussia.com)
- Thoughts from Russia with Coffee… (windowstorussia.com)
- Coffee Thoughts in Russia… (windowstorussia.com)
- Emails and Coffee… (windowstorussia.com)
- Coffee Thinking’s in Russia… (windowstorussia.com)
- Oladushki: Another Russian Pancake… (windowstorussia.com)
- That Cup Of Coffee and the START Treaty… (windowstorussia.com)
- Russia – Georgia: World “Wake up and Smell The Coffee!” (windowstorussia.com)
- Sveta and I Live in Korolev, Russia… (windowstorussia.com)
