For the Czech Republic appetizer I chose a delicious marinated cheese recipe, which is considered pub fare for the starter of the meal. Hermelín is a soft cheese that originates from Central Bohemia. If you cannot find this type of cheese you can substitute camembert or brie which is what I used for this recipe. This is one of those recipes that you can easily add or subtract ingredients to your taste. Please note that this recipe takes several days to marinade so plan accordingly.
Czech Republic Nakládaný Hermelín (marinated cheese)
Note: this requires several days to marinade so plan accordingly.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 package Hermelín camembert or brie cheese
- olive oil about 1 cup
- 1 white or red onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried crushed red pepper add more if you like it spicy.
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced
- Paprika and salt to taste
Instructions
- A sterilized mason jar works well to marinate this recipe.
- Saute the onion and garlic until they are softened.
- Cut the cheese into 1” cubes
- In a bowl, combine the spices including the jalapenos and combine together.
- Add the softened onions and garlic to the spice mixture and combine
- Stir in the cheese until and mix until it is well coated.
- Put everything into your sterilized mason jar and cover with olive oil.
- Close the lid tight and shake to evenly distribute all the ingredients.
- Refrigerate for about 4 to 5 days
- It is common for the olive oil to solidify in the refrigerator, you can remove the metal cap from the mason jar and place the jar in the microwave and just reheat until you see the oil become liquid, the cheese will actually melt slightly in the process which is simply delicious!
- Spoon the mixture on the bread or cracker and enjoy!
