Gjbena

Gbejna

For my first blog post I thought it might be appropriate to write about a recipe connected to my heritage.

Being of Maltese descent, I grew up learning to cook at my grandmother’s and mother’s kitchen table. I don’t imagine the best cooking school would teach you the practical techniques and secrets these two amazing women shared with me over the years. My grandmother passed away some years ago, but she is with me everyday, in my kitchen and in my heart. 

My mom, is thankfully still available for consultation. 

Gbjena is a Maltese “cheeselet” made typically from goat or sheep’s milk. The classic preparation is dried and blanketed in black paper. In my family, it’s not uncommon, upon returning from a trip to Malta, that an older relative would stash a well wrapped package of Gjbena in your luggage. It’s expected that you’ll “smuggle” these little gems back for relatives in the U.S. It’s impossible not to feel like Lucy Ricardo attempting to bring back cheese from Italy disguised as a baby. You just cross your fingers and pray there are no “drug sniffing dogs” at customs who will surely rat you out. That has happened to me, but that’s a story for another time.

Here’s my recipe:

Gjbena

Ingredients

1 gallon goat or sheep’s milk

1/4 tsp liquid rennet (I like vegetable) mixed with 1/4c of cool water

cheese salt (non-iodized)

small cheese baskets* (sterilized)

Amount varies with size. I used 8-3” baskets

White vinegar

Black pepper (or other dried herbs of choice)

Directions

1. Place the milk in a stockpot over medium heat. Gently stir and warm to 90 degrees.
2. Remove from the heat and the rennet. Stir. 
3. Cover and let the mixture rest, undisturbed, for about an hour.
4. In the meantime, lone a rimmed cookie sheet with paper towels, place a cooking rack in the pan and arrange cheese baskets on the rack.
5. After an hour, using a slotted spoon, fill the cheese baskets with curds.
6. Sprinkle the curds with salt. This will help release liquid from the curds and preserve the cheese.
7. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
8. After 6 hours, gently turn each basket upside down, remove the cheese, flip, return to basket and sprinkle with more salt.
9. After 12 hours, the cheese can be eaten fresh or “friska.” For the classic, dried variation, repeat the above process every 6 hours or twice daily for several days or until the cheese reaches desired firmness, removing the excess water from the pan as needed. It usually takes about 5 days for the cheese to dry. 
10. Once your cheese is firm and dry, gently slide them into to a jar filled with white vinegar. Close the jar and refrigerate for 24 hours.
11. After 24 hours your cheese is ready to be rolled in freshly ground black pepper. I typically wrap them in plastic refrigerate until I’m ready to serve them with some crusty bread.
12. Variations include covering the cheeses in dried oregano or thyme. In this case, I often place each cheeselet in a small mason jar and cover with olive oil and a fresh herb sprig. Makes a nice hostess gift!

*Cheese baskets can be purchased online. If you’re lucky, you can recruit a Maltese relative to send you some of the authentic gjbena baskets traditionally made from woven reeds. I got mine on Amazon.