CASTELLANO DE OVEJA - Deejays - adapted from cheese description
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole Castilian Ewe’s Milk or a mixture of goat and cow’s Milk
1/4 teaspoon Mesophilic Type B Culture (CHOOZIT™ Mesophilic Aromatic Type B)
1/4 teaspoon Thermophilic Type B Culture (CHOOZIT™ TM 81)
1/4 teaspoon Lipase Powder
Rennet per manufactures instructions
Salt for brine
Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Calcium Chloride (if using pasteurized milk)
Procedure:
Heat milk to between 101°F.
Add calcium chloride if needed and stir well.
Add Mesophilic and Thermophilic culture and mix well and leave for 30 minutes.
Mix the lipase powder in 1/4 cup water and let stand for 20 minutes.
Add lipase mixture to the milk and stir gently for 1 minute.
Mix Rennet sufficient to coagulate milk in not less than 30 or more than 45 minutes per manufactures instruction in 1/4 cup of pure water and add to the milk and mix completely.
Once a clean break is achieved cut curds to about 3/8 inch cubes and rest for 5 minutes.
Whisk the curds into rice-size pieces.
Heat the curds to 110°F at a rate of 2°F every five minutes. This will take about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep curds from matting together.
Rest curds for 5 minutes.
Pour off excess whey.
Drain curds in cheese cloth line colander.
Place curds into a mold, and press with 15 pounds pressure for 15 minutes.
Flip the cheese and press again with 15 pounds pressure for 15 minutes
Flip the cheese and press again with 15 pounds pressure for 15 minutes
Flip the cheese and press again with 30 pounds pressure for 24 hours.
Unwrap cheese and soak medium brine for 24 hours at 50-55°F turning every hour.
Remove cheese from mold and air dry at 55 to 60°F for 3 to 4 weeks the 50-55° F with a relative humidity of 80-85% for at up to 18 months.
Cheese should be aged a minimum of 100 days.
Turn cheese every day for about a week.
Rub with olive oil to keep rind from drying out.