Cheat’s shanklish

Shanklish is a Middle Eastern cheese with a similar texture to feta. Made from yoghurt whey, the cheese is salted, shaped into balls and aged. Once matured, it is coated in dried thyme, and sometimes chilli. This quick-and-easy version makes a good substitute.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 250 g feta (see Note)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil and Lebanese bread, to serve

Serves 4 as part of a mezza spread

Instructions

Finely crumble feta into a bowl. Scatter over oregano, chilli and paprika and gently stir to combine.

Place cheese on a serving dish and pile onion and then tomatoes on top. Drizzle over olive oil and serve with Lebanese bread.

Note
• You will need to use a dry, crumbly feta for this recipe.

Photography Mark Roper

As seen in Feast magazine, November 2013, Issue 26.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.