Nahla's Mid-Eastern Restaurant, New Castle, PA

When my job takes me to New Castle, I always make a stop at Nahla's Mid-Eastern Restaurant.  Located in a former Taco Bell, the restaurant is a great find!  On a recent visit, I had the stuffed grapeleaves and the shanklish salad.  The salad consisted of diced fresh tomatoes, parsley and shanklish cheese. 

I first experienced shanklish years ago when a friend hosted an international dinner.  Shanklish is made by turning milk into yogurt.  The yogurt is placed in a large container and shaken to separate the butter that is then skimmed away.  This creates a  thin skimmed yogurt call Shenineh.  It is then heated sloyly until it curdles.  The curds are then drained in a cheese cloth for a few hours to create Arisheh, a delicately flavored crumbly white cheese.  Arisheh is then salted generously and rolled into tennis -ball sized balls and then dried in the sun for a week.  Once dried, shanklish balls are placed in airtight jars and left in the dark to mature.  They develop a moldy layer on the surface.  They are rinsed and dried to remove the mould and then finished by rolling them in dried zaatar or thyme.