Ricotta Cheese

In the March  issue of Chatelaine magazine I came across this recipe for ricotta cheese. It looked so simple I had to try it. It turns out it is very simple. It took all of 15 minutes and I had 1 1/2 cups of fresh ricotta which I then used to make a bacon onion tart for a lunch I was going to at a friends.
 I often wonder how it is that we have moved so far away from preparing foods from scratch. There are so many prepackaged foods available in our supermarkets and shops today that we have forgotten how simple food preparation can be. In the case of this ricotta cheese recipe I had no idea before reading this article that it was even possible to make your own cheese with out the use of sophisticated equipment. So it is not only that we have forgotten but in many cases the knowledge is no longer being passed on to the next generation. It is sad to think that future generations may believe that food is only something you buy at the store and heat in a microwave oven.

 There are many uses for ricotta cheese. I mainly use it in my onion tart and in lasagna. Ricks Nona also used to make a panzerotta stuffed with ricotta and ham. It is often used in Italian desserts as well such as cannolli. In the Chatelaine article there were several additional suggestions which I will include at then end of this post.

Ingredients:

2 L 3.25% milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt (Kosher salt is best, as the iodine in table salt can make ricotta taste bitter)
2 tbsp 35% cream

Directions:

1. Line a large fine-mesh metal strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth large enough to hang over the edges. Set over an 8-cup measuring cup.
2. Pour milk into a large, very wide saucepan and heat over high.
3. Stir often until milk becomes steamy and frothy around the edges or reads 185F on a thermometer, about 8 min. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Let stand until the liquid turns a yellowish colour and milky-white curds float to the surface, about 2 min. Gradually pour mixture into the prepared strainer. Let sit, stirring curds very gently once or twice, until about 7 cups of liquid has drained off, about 5 min. Discard liquid.
4. Transfer cheese into a bowl. Refrigerate until chilled. Just before using, stir in cream. Ricotta will keep well, refrigerated, up to 1 week. Makes 1 3/4 cups.

Per 1/4 cup: 132 calories, 8 g protein, 1 g carbs, 11 g fat, 112 mg sodium.

Four ways to switch it up:

1. Low-fat ricotta
Omit cream. Ricotta will be less smooth.

2. Olive oil ricotta
Stir in 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil along with cream.

3. Herbed ricotta
Stir in 1tbsp finely chopped parsley, chives or thyme along with cream.

4. Lemon ricotta
Stir in 1tbsp lemon zest along with cream.

Four more ways to use it

Roasted-tomato crostini
Slice 1 pint grape tomatoes in half, toss with olive oil, chopped thyme, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet at 425F for 15 min. Spread creamy ricotta (recipe on previous page) generously on toasted baguette slices and top with tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Ricotta dumplings
Whisk 2 eggs with 1 cup olive oil ricotta (recipe on previous page), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp each nutmeg and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup all-purpose flour. Drop 1-tbsp balls into simmering salted water. Simmer until they float to the surface, 2 to 3 min. Drain and serve with any simple tomato sauce. Garnish with parmesan.

Creamy olive and herb pasta
Toss cooked bow tie pasta with herbed ricotta (recipe on previous page), chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped kalamata olives and cream in a frying pan until warmed. Season with pepper.

Honey-berry tartlets
Sweeten lemon ricotta (recipe on previous page) with a little honey, then spoon into baked tart shells. Top with fresh berries and drizzle with more hone