GOATS MILK CHEESE THE ANDALUZ WAY

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Whether you use esparto grass belts or some other molds, the method of making Andaluz cheese is the same: each round is rubbed with coarse sea salt after the initial pressing and left to drain for an hour or so. It's then turned over, pressed again with the hands, salted, and left to drain further. The turning, pressing, and salting are repeated two or three times, until the cheese is firm enough to be unbelted and lifted in the hands. When the curd passes this test, it can be placed in the form once again and left to drip into a container for 24 hours.

The Sarso ( dryingrack ) is made of driedcanes lashed together and suspended from the ceiling of a cool, airy room.

The following day, again rub each side of the cheese with coarse salt and brush off all excess grains. Then put the round in an airy ,place on a wicker shelf, for instance so that all sides may dry. If you must set the wheel on a plate, turn it often and pour off any accumulation of whey.

The cheese is ready to eat immediately but will be better after it has aged at least three days. It should be used within a couple of weeks if it is to be consumed fresh. Throughout this period the round should be exposed to the air. If the wheel is put into a plastic bag or a covered plastic bowl, it will sweat and mold and small worms will appear. A properly aired round, however, will gradually dry and after two or three weeks will acquire a yellowish color. At that point it's either used immediately or treated for preservation.

Cheese making is just part of the morning's work around here, and the entire process of curdling and molding shouldn't take more than three or four hours. As I said before, though, the skill is all in the feel. The amount of rennet needed, the time required for curdling and draining, or any part of the

process can vary from one locale to another. Almost any aspect of geography or climate-altitude, temperature, air pressure, or whatever-can cause slight alterations in the recipe. Fortunately, failures are seldom inedible they just aren't as good as the successes.

THE PRESERVATION OF CHEESE

In southern Spain, the supply of goat's milk begins to dry up in August and September and gradually decreases until it disappears. Then mating season rolls around and there's sport in the meadows. The resulting kids are born from late March into May. From fall mating to late-spring weaning, there's no fresh goat milk here at all and thus no fresh cheese. (This cycle is natural to goats when the buck runs with the herd. Dairy owners who have their does bred on a staggered schedule won't experience such a drastic cutoff but milk production will still fall during the winter. - MOTHER.)

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