Many people assume ricotta is a cheese, and in fact on the Web you will find recipes for home-made ricotta that start with whole milk, including one that Grace Pilato kindly gave me permission to share. While good, they do not yield ricotta, however.
This is because ricotta is actually a cheese byproduct, made by reheating the whey that drains from the curds of freshly made cheese. The cheesemaker heats it to 70-75 degrees C (160-170 F) in a cauldron, and when tiny white flakes begin to rise to the surface raises the temperature to 80-85 C (175 - 185 F) to hasten their rise. Thus is made ricotta, which owes its name to its being ricotta, or cooked again.
When the flakes stop rising the cheese maker sets the ricotta to drain in rush or plastic baskets for 12-14 hours, and it's ready.
One important thing to note is that the word Ricotta refers to a technique and says nothing about the whey used to make it. Most Italian ricotta is made from either ovine (sheep/goat) or cow's milk; ovine ricotta is more delicately flavored, but richer, while cow's milk ricotta is a little lighter. Buffalo milk ricotta is especially creamy, and can be used as a substitute for béchamel sauce.
You will find fresh ovine and cow's milk ricotta for sale in most Italian delicatessens (buffalo milk ricotta is more difficult to find). If it's really fresh it's very nice simply eaten with bread, a grind of pepper, and a pinch of salt (or a dab of good, delicate honey if you prefer), and a light white wine. But it is also a very important ingredient, appearing in everything from antipasti through desserts. We'll begin with the former:
This is because ricotta is actually a cheese byproduct, made by reheating the whey that drains from the curds of freshly made cheese. The cheesemaker heats it to 70-75 degrees C (160-170 F) in a cauldron, and when tiny white flakes begin to rise to the surface raises the temperature to 80-85 C (175 - 185 F) to hasten their rise. Thus is made ricotta, which owes its name to its being ricotta, or cooked again.
When the flakes stop rising the cheese maker sets the ricotta to drain in rush or plastic baskets for 12-14 hours, and it's ready.
One important thing to note is that the word Ricotta refers to a technique and says nothing about the whey used to make it. Most Italian ricotta is made from either ovine (sheep/goat) or cow's milk; ovine ricotta is more delicately flavored, but richer, while cow's milk ricotta is a little lighter. Buffalo milk ricotta is especially creamy, and can be used as a substitute for béchamel sauce.
You will find fresh ovine and cow's milk ricotta for sale in most Italian delicatessens (buffalo milk ricotta is more difficult to find). If it's really fresh it's very nice simply eaten with bread, a grind of pepper, and a pinch of salt (or a dab of good, delicate honey if you prefer), and a light white wine. But it is also a very important ingredient, appearing in everything from antipasti through desserts. We'll begin with the former: