Syrna Namazka (сирна намазка, garlic cheese spread)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A medium mixing bowl
• •A fork or potato masher
• •A mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain the cheese

   If your cheese is wet, tip it into a sieve for a few minutes while you chop the herbs. It doesn't need to be dry as sand, just not puddling. A little whey is fine; a wet bowl makes the spread loose and sad.

2. 2

   Crush the garlic

   Put the garlic and salt on a board or in a mortar and crush them into a paste. This is the small step that decides the dish. Salt breaks the garlic down, so its heat travels through the cheese evenly instead of arriving in one fierce little stone.

3. 3

   Beat the cheese

   Mash the cheese with the bryndza, if using, then beat in the smetana and sunflower oil until the mixture softens and begins to shine. Use a fork for a rougher village texture, or a hand blender for something smoother and more modern. Stop when it spreads cleanly from the spoon.

4. 4

   Fold in greens

   Stir in the garlic paste, chopped dill, spring onions if using, and black pepper. Taste on a piece of bread, not from the spoon, because bread changes the salt. Add more smetana if it drags, more dill if it looks shy, and more garlic only if your guests have been warned.

   Dill is not decoration here. It is half the freshness of the bowl, so use a proper handful.
5. 5

   Serve it cold

   Spoon the namazka into a shallow bowl, make a few ridges with the back of the spoon, and let a little green-gold sunflower oil sit in them. Serve with rye bread, cucumber spears, radishes, or hot boiled potatoes. Enough for eight guests or one hungry Ukrainian.

Chef Tips

• •If you only have supermarket cottage cheese, drain it well and mash it firmly. The curds will soften once the smetana and oil go in.
• •Bryndza gives the spread salt and tang, but feta works. If you use a very salty cheese, hold back the salt until after mixing.
• •The garlic grows louder as it sits. For children or polite office lunches, use one clove; for a kitchen table with pickles and rye bread, use two or three.
• •A spoon of mayonnaise is a bit more modern and very common in family fridges. I won't pretend otherwise. Use it if that's the taste you grew up with.

Advance Preparation

• •The spread can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
• •If it firms up in the cold, loosen it with a spoon of smetana before serving.
• •Chop the dill just before mixing if you want the greenest color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)