Manouri Ball
cheese rolled in pistachios
By: Eleni Saltas
If you haven’t watched ‘Akis’ Food Tour’ yet, which can be found on YouTube, I highly recommend it. Throughout each episode, famous Greek chef Akis Petretzikis visits different regions of Greece, all while chatting and charming the townspeople, hiking, climbing or participating in some sort of physical activity, and shares with the viewers local ingredients that he will be cooking in that episode. It’s wonderful and cleverly produced.
In one episode, Akis visits a cheese factory and shares multiple recipes for manouri cheese—a creamier than feta cheese I had little knowledge of at the time. He easily whipped up saganaki, a caprese salad and a cheese ball—all made of manouri cheese. I went and found some manouri cheese the next day and created my version of the manouri cheese ball. It was an instant hit amongst family and friends. I’m certain you’ll love this as well.
Serve on a charcuterie board, or have the cheese balls stand out alone on their own platter.
Prep Time:
5min
Total Time:
10min
Servings:
3 large cheese balls
Good For:
Side/Appetizer
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Manouri cheese*
- 2 tablespoons plain thick Greek yogurt
- Juice of ½ lemon, or more if needed
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup chopped pistachios
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
In a bowl, mix together the manouri cheese, yogurt, lemon, honey, thyme, and 1/4 cup of the chopped pistachios until well combined. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Step 2
Scoop the mixture into 3-4 equal sized balls, and roll into additional chopped pistachios.
Step 3
Store in a refrigerator to harden before serving. Serve with chips, bread, or veggies for dipping. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*If you are unable to find manouri cheese, use feta cheese, plus an extra tablespoon of Greek yogurt.
Yummmm. Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the tip on the Greek chef!♡
They’re so good I hope you like them! And yes, Akis is one to watch he is so charismatic.
Cheese balls are delicious, and using manouri cheese is a nice touch. I don’t use that cheese often enough!
I feel the same way, don’t utilize cheese enough at home yet in Greece I have cheese in some form with nearly every meal. This one is a keeper though, I hope you give It a try!