Marinated White Cheese 🧀 Balkan Herb Oil 🇷🇸 (Sir u Ulju)

Description

Salty brined cheese cubes tucked with garlic, chili, and herbs in golden oil—instant meze with bread or olives. 🫒🍋

Hook: 10-minute prep; let it sit and the jar does the work. ⚡

Ingredients

• 🧀 White brined cheese (sirene/feta), cut in 2 cm cubes: 400 g (3 cups / 14.1 oz)
• 🧄 Garlic, thin slices: 8 g (2 cloves / 0.3 oz)
• 🌶️ Fresh red chili, thin rings (to taste): 5 g (½ small / 0.18 oz)
• 🌿 Fresh rosemary, small sprig: 1 (≈3 g / 0.1 oz)
• 🌿 Bay leaves: 2
• 🌿 Dried oregano: 2 g (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍋 Lemon zest, wide strip: 1
• ⚫ Black peppercorns: 3 g (1 tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🫗 Olive or sunflower oil (to cover): 300–350 ml (1¼–1½ cups / 10–12 fl oz)
• 🧂 Salt: pinch, only if cheese is mild (≈1 g / pinch)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Pat cheese cubes very dry with paper towels.
2. 2️⃣ In a clean 500 ml jar, layer cheese with garlic, chili, herbs, zest, oregano, and peppercorns.
3. 3️⃣ Warm the oil just to lukewarm (optional, helps infuse), then pour to fully cover; tap jar to release air bubbles.
4. 4️⃣ Seal and rest 30 min at room temp (or refrigerate up to 7 days). Bring to room temp before serving.
5. 5️⃣ Serve with warm bread, olives, or as part of a meze board.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 10 min
⏳ Total: 10 min

Back to full recipe