07 Jun Mon 2010
Father Day is on the horizon.So let us celebrate at home by making some yogurt and learn its benefits.
In tribute to my father and grandfather I want to share with you some home made yogurt and cheese recipes .The reason is there are less CHEESE (MONEY) to earn and spend .So home made will even be the best to eat with all the family and take a memorial picture with a "say cheese to the camera" smile.
As a fourth generation farmer I have stored so many kitchen memories and recipes that I feel I need to share with you in celebration of this coming Father Day June 20th.
My father used to keep some goats and cows and sheep .He loved to make his own yogurt and cheese and off course salads. My mother was the daughter of a butcher so she loved to cook and eat meat dishes. I followed my father and became a vegetarian since 9 years old. My favorite was the home made yogurt from raw fresh goat and cow milk. Here is the recipe:
Goat (or Cow) Yogurt (KEFIR/Laban) Home Made Recipe:
1-Warm raw or pasteurized ORGANIC whole milk to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you wish to make it thick add a tablespoon of Honey or Carob Molasses before incubation.
2-Incubation.Add a half cup of cold cultured goat(cow) organic yogurt to the organic milk with heat temperature around 100 -0F to incubate and ferment the culture (test with your clean finger to make sure it is close to body temperature ,if you do not have a thermometer).Slowly disperse and mix together. If you want to make it more sour add more culture and keep longer to sit before serving.
I prefer ,personally, sour yogurt because this is how it was originally prepared ,to boost the immune system with the sour pro-biotic lacto bacillus bacteria.(Pro biotic means PRO-LIFE as opposed to Anti Biotic which means ANTI-LIFE(kills all good and bad live bacteria in the colon particularly initiating CANDIDA to flourish)!
3-Keep in warm 100 degrees Fahrenheit dark place and cover with towel if you live in a cold region, or expose to the sun to make a solarized yogurt if you live in a warm southern region like our south Florida, for 5-8 hours.
Pour into stone or brick containers and refrigerate. Cover with a clean cloth.To make Kefir or Labneh, simply pour ober a cheese or clean cloth and upside down to separate the whey from yogurt and strain to become thicker .This is called Labneh or Kefir in the middle east, while here it is known as sour cream.It should taste sour though not sweat!
Enjoy serving cold with cucumber and mint leaves and a pinch of sea salt .It is best for the summer season to refrigerate your body in case your electric bill can not afford Air Condition!
The benefits of Home Made ORGANIC yogurt (containing live beneficial bacteria), according to recent study and research:
1-Helps your body to lose weight.
2-Boosts your immune system.
3-Helps your body fight diabetes.
4-A good source of protein for vegetarians.
5-Reduces the risk of Osteoporosis.
6-Discourages Candida growth.
7-Great for colon health and fights colon cancer and colon inflammation.
8-Anti aging food.
9-Calms the nervous system with its loaded B vitamins.
Helps in alleviating constipation.
10-Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
Ancient long living people s that ate yogurt:
1-The Hunzas-
2-The Bulgarians and the Armenians who ate KASKAVAN CHEESE and YERIVAN(EYERAN )yogurt.
3-The long living Caucasian Russians who ate KEFIR.
4-The Greeks, Turks and Phoenicians who coined the words: LABAN and off course GREEK YOGURT! The Mediterranean diet is known because of a study that researched the reason why the GREEKS of CRETE in the Mediterranean, were the most CENTURIANS on earth during the 1950s.Therefore the MEDITERRANEAN DIET is named after that study.
Stay tuned. Coming next is the home made cheese recipe!
Enjoy-Yasso!