Cheese (2) : Make your own cheese ricotta

Here is a simple recipe to make your first cheese at home : Ricotta. You will only need some very basic equipments : a laddle, a strainer, a pot and cheese cloth.

Ingredients (for 400 grams)

- 2 liters milk

- one half teaspoon citric acid

- one half teaspoon salt

Procedure

1. Place the milk, acid and salt in a small pot and heat the mixture to 195 degrees F. (90 degrees C.), stirring often to avoid sticking and scorching. When the curds start fo form and separate from the whey, turn off the heat and let the mixture rest undisturbed for about 10 minutes.

2. Carefully ladle the curds and whey into a strainer lined with damp cheese cloth. Gather up the ends and tie into a knot, and let it hang for about 1 hour.

3. A bit of cream may be mixed in for a richer product, along with some salt according to taste.

You can use Ricotta cheese as filling of Ravioles or Raviollis. You can add flavor like tomato, parmesan, vegetables cut in very small dices, herbs, etc...

ENJOY !