Text 39730, 72 rader
Skriven 2010-07-02 14:02:26 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
Ärende: A dinner party.. but you have to work first! :)(3)
==========================================================
The filling for cheese ravioli is made of ricotta cheese, Italian locatelli
cheese, eggs and flavorings (mint or parsley).  I mentioned in the echo before
how my grandmother on Mom's side (the northern Italians) had always used mint
in her lasagne and ravioli, but my father's mom (Sicilian) always used the
southern Italian preference, parsley. When Mom first made a ricotta dish for
Dad, he said "what's wrong with this?? You ruined it!" because she hadn't used
parsley. From that day, she never used mint again in her cooking (g). I have
been using mint in my ricotta cheese since my mom told me the story last year.
I really do prefer it to parsley :)


==Ricotta Cheese==
==================
Makes about 1 lb.

When I mentioned perhaps we'd make our own Ricotta to Ruth, I could tell she
also thought that was a great idea, given all the processing, etc. most of the
foods we eat today suffer.  Like everyone else in my family, I used to buy
Ricotta cheese to make various Italian dishes. These days I make my own just
about all the time. It's healthier, you know what goes in it, it's simple to
do, and you can have it at any time. Additionally, generally you don't need any
special equipment or ingredients.  Some people use simply whole milk, some use
whole milk and yogurt and some use whole milk and heavy cream. I find that
using 2 parts whole milk and 1 part goat's milk, a touch of sea salt and lemon
juice makes the best tasting ricotta.  You heat up the milk to _almost_
boiling, and then add either lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to the
milk.

Ingredients:
===========
1/2 gallon whole milk (We buy Horizon Farms, which comes from grass-fed beef.
           The quality of the milk matters a great deal in the resulting
           taste.  _Ultra pasteurized_ milk will give you a lower yield.

1 quart goat's milk.  We buy dry powdered goats milk packets so that it's
           always 'fresh'.  Old goat's milk tastes.. well, like an old goat :)
           not that I've ever eaten one haha

1/3 cup lemon juice or 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
           Lemon juice gives it a slightly citrus taste, vinegar a cleaner one.
           I like the flavor

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Put the milks and salt in a large pot, and stir to mix. Heat to nearly boiling,
but don't let it get to a rolling boil .  Stir gently and often so that the
bottom of the pot doesn't scorch (would taste pretty bad).  As the milk heats
watch the outside edge of the milk;  you'll see very tiny bubbles start to form
around the outside edge.  When the milk comes to a very low boil, add the lemon
juice and stir to blend.  Bring back to a very low boil and cook about a
minute.  You'll see small white particles start to coagulate on the surface.
This means the curds are starting to form. Don't let the milk cook any longer
than about a minute or you may wind up with hard, dry curds instead of the
soft, creamy texture you are after. Remove the pot from the heat, and cover
with a tight fitting lid.  Let the ricotta sit for about 20 minutes untouched.
More substantial curds will form in this time period. Line a colander with
cheesecloth or a thin cotton cloth like a piece of bed sheet. Gently pour the
ricotta into the cloth,  being careful not to break up the curds too much.  Do
it slowly because free-fall pouring may be too violent. For the best results,
let the cheese drain, unrefrigerated, for about an hour. We were pressed for
time, so I did refrigerate it with a bowl underneath to catch the drips.  You
will now have a rather moist ricotta. If you prefer it drier, you can tie and
hang the cheese cloth over the sink or over a bowl so the ricotta can drain
more thoroughly. The ricotta is ready to use. You may refrigerate it, but it
will stay really fresh and sweet only for about two days. If you plan on baking
with the ricotta, drain it well.

Take care,
Janis

--- BBBS/LiI v4.01 Flag
 * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)