Middle Eastern String Cheese

Photo: flickr user ChrisGampat

Ingredients

1 pound Mozzarella curd

Mahleb

Black caraway seeds

Salt

Preparation

Place cheese in a Teflon saucepan and add a dash of mahleb and salt and a sprinkling of black seeds. Heat on low until cheese is melted thoroughly. Remove from heat and drain excess water.

Pick up hot cheese in a lump, and make a hole in the center to resemble a doughnut.

With both hands, stretch and turn the cheese to form a large loop.

Double the strand of cheese, making two strands of cheese of even length. Repeat, stretching and looping; the more you stretch the stringier the cheese becomes. Repeat stretching several times. Twist ends in opposite directions and intertwine rope into a braid. Place one end through the loop of the other to lock it.

Set cheese aside to dry thoroughly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.

To serve, open braid, cut one loop and pull cheese apart into thin strands. Serve with pocket bread.