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Nakládaný hermelín
Marinated white-rind cheese
Nakládaný hermelín: Czech white-rind cheese marinated in oil with garlic, onion, paprika and chilli
Behind the bar of almost every Czech hospoda sits a big glass jar of cheeses sunk in oil with onion rings and chillies. Nakládaný hermelín is the classic beer snack: a soft white-rind cheese, split and spread with garlic and paprika, then left to mellow in spiced oil for about a week until it turns rich, tangy and spreadable. It is eaten with thick slices of dark bread (use gluten-free bread if needed) and a few pickled peppers. Hermelín and camembert-style cheeses are usually made with animal rennet, so for a vegetarian jar choose a white-rind cheese labelled as made with vegetarian or microbial rennet. Where it goes wrong is leaving cheese poking above the oil, where it can spoil: keep everything submerged and the jar in the fridge, and eat it within 10 days. Chef's tip: use a cheese that is not fully ripe; it holds its shape in the oil and softens to perfection as it marinates.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cheese
- 4 hermelín or camembert-style cheese, vegetarian rennetabout 100 g each, not too ripe
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 1 pinch salt
For the jar
- 1 onionsliced into thin rings
- 2 fresh red chillieshalved, or 4 small dried ones
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 ¾ cups sunflower or rapeseed oilenough to cover
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash a 1 litre jar and its lid in very hot soapy water, rinse and let it dry completely.
5 minStep 2: Mash 4 garlic cloves with 1 ½ tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 pinch salt to a thick red paste.
3 minStep 3: Cut each 4 hermelín or camembert-style cheese, vegetarian rennet in half horizontally like a bun. Spread the paste over the cut sides of the bottom halves and put the tops back on.
5 minStep 4: Layer the cheeses in the jar with 1 onion, 2 fresh red chillies, 3 bay leaves, 4 allspice berries and 1 tsp black peppercorns, packing them in snugly.
4 minStep 5: Pour in 1 ¾ cups sunflower or rapeseed oil until everything is covered by at least 1 cm, tapping the jar to release air bubbles. Close the lid.
3 minStep 6: Keep the jar in the fridge for 5–7 days, until the cheese is soft and creamy through and smells tangy. Always use a clean fork to take cheese out, keep the rest covered with oil, and eat within 10 days.
Step 7: Take the cheeses out about 30 minutes before serving so the oil turns liquid and the cheese is spreadable.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nakládaný hermelín take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of sweet paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
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