Gebzhalia — Georgian Mint-and-Cheese Appetizer

Slice the cheese 1 cm thick. If using string cheese or brined kashar, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes and drain them to remove excess salt. Pour the milk into a wide, shallow pan and heat it to 60–70°C / 140–158°F. Small bubbles should form around the edges, but the surface should not move. If the milk boils, the cheese proteins will contract, making the cheese rubbery and impossible to stretch smoothly.

Place the slices in the hot milk and let them sit for 3–4 minutes. Press with a spoon: the cheese is ready when it stretches like dough. If it still breaks, wait 2 more minutes and keep the milk warm. Gather the cheese with a wooden spoon and knead it in the milk, folding it over itself repeatedly. In 5–6 minutes it will become a smooth, shiny, cohesive mass. Keep the heat low and turn it off briefly if needed; the goal is to soften the cheese, not melt it.

Transfer the mass to a wet counter or parchment paper. Wet your hand with cold water, then press and stretch the cheese into a rectangle about 25 × 20 cm and 5 mm thick. Work quickly because the cheese firms as it cools. If it firms up, dip it back into the hot milk for 30 seconds to soften it again.

Finely chop the mint and crush the garlic, then mix them with the Turkish red pepper flakes. Do not add salt to the filling because the cheese is already salty. Spread the filling evenly over the cheese sheet, leaving a 2 cm border along one long edge. Starting from the other long edge, roll it up tightly, tuck the seam underneath, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. If the roll is sliced before chilling for 20 minutes, the slices may fall apart and the filling may spill out.

Set aside 400 ml of the milk used to soften the cheese and let it cool until lukewarm; hot milk will curdle the yogurt. Whisk the yogurt in a wide bowl, then gradually whisk in the lukewarm milk until smooth. Add the finely chopped mint and crushed garlic. Taste and adjust the salt; the cheese is salty, so the sauce needs very little.

Take the roll out of the refrigerator and cut it into 2 cm slices with a sharp, wet knife. Wipe and re-wet the knife between slices for clean cuts. Arrange the slices in a single layer in a serving dish, cut sides facing up, and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with a few mint leaves and a pinch of Turkish red pepper flakes, cover, and refrigerate. Gebzhalia is eaten cold; do not heat it, even if it has warmed up, or the cheese will become rubbery.