Easy Ricotta

Ricotta is a fresh soft Italian cheese. It has a mild flavour and creamy texture. The great thing about ricotta is it can be used in so many ways. I grew up enjoying it simply by spreading it on toast or eating it by the fork fulls. This was a constant staple in our home. My mom would use it in her lasagnas, and pasta dishes. Christmas time it became a sweet treat when she mixed it with sugar and placed between two round puff pastries which resulted in my mom’s own version of the traditional ricotta cannoli.

I myself still enjoy using ricotta in many dishes to create a more creamy, flavourful accent to many dishes including homemade pizza. Ricotta is actually easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients.

Recipe:

2 litres of whole milk

1/4 cup of lemon juice, fresh

1/2 tsp Sea salt

Other:

Cheesecloth for straining and colander

Place milk and lemon juice in a large pot and heat. Try not to boil as it will boil over and give it a funny taste. You will start to see the curds developing and separating from the whey. That is when you know it is ready. When you see a defined separation in the mixture. Then you will carefully drain into a colander lined with cheesecloth and drain the whey and leaving behind the ricotta cheese. Once drained place in a bowl and add salt to taste. Be sure not to over salt it. You can leave it to drain for about 20-30 minutes. Cool and enjoy whatever way you want to enjoy the ricotta cheese. Whole process takes about 30 minutes to make the cheese and extra time to drain and cool.

Enjoy!