How to make ricotta. Why food made at home?

-"Cooking is sensibility; think about the art of making a sauce, no matter how simple"- Mireille Galiano

In this world where so much has already been done and there is a need for a high speed communication and information, it is inspiring and comforting to make things from scratch. It is a healthy break when life is spinning fast. "Slow down, world" is what I say to myself when I am kneading bread dough.

Yes, it is a question of having spare time in your hands but I think you can try it once in while. When you start making food at home, this will change the way you think about food. It brings you closer to it. Not only is better for you as you know exactly what is into it, without preservatives, chemicals or a list of ingredients hard to understand (if that list in the back of the package is long, the food you are buying is not very fresh), but also because it tastes better. 

The program of Stephanie Alexander teaches this basic principle: try to make food at home; grow a vegetable garden; have some chickens!. And now, I am one of the fans of her program which is spreading like a spiderweb around the primary schools in Australia.

You might not be able to re-create your favourite food or pleasures, but you will be surprised that some of them are simple to make and quicker than you think (perhaps quicker than going to the shops and buy it).

When I lived in Solomon Islands in 2005, my lovely friend Monique, who is a very talented cook and pastry baker, used to make plain yogurt. "Can't you buy it in the shops?" I wondered. Nope. Even the eggs were rationalised by a tiny shop whose owners were from Sri Lanka. "What the bloody hell am I?" I asked Nick when I was 26 years old and totally naive. 

Monique gave me 1/2 cup of her already made yogurt from the successful cafe Lime Lounge run by her friends (Monique and her family are now the owners: www.limelounge.com.sb ). This was my very first experience of making something at home: yogurt. After many failures, one day I woke up, went to the kitchen, unwrapped the tablecloth and opened nervously the lid of the saucepan where the milk and cultures had been setting during the night and...there it was! I had plain yogurt! The right consistency, the right taste. So simple, so delicious. So proud of myself.

Seven years later, with a bit more of culinary experience and enthusiasm in the kitchen, I am very conscious of what I feed to my family. I am convinced that making staples at home, whenever is possible of course, it is a rewarding feeling, an achievement. My daughter Aurelia, and soon Gabriel, enjoys cooking when she decorates her birthday cake and licks the bowl where we made the cake an hour before; when she passes the pasta sheets through the machine or when she shapes the meatballs.

I am not a fundamentalist though. I like to take out pizzas from our favourite Italian restaurant, Caruso. I like the ciabatta bread from the Wild Flour cafe; I like the fungi ravioli from Belinis shop or the hazelnut ice cream from Morelli's in Rockwell.

This week I wanted to use ricotta in different dishes because  it is bland, slightly sweet and creamy. It is versatile: fresh or cooked in pasta  such as cannelloni, lasagna, gnudi or tortelini and ravioli; or in sweet dishes like the Sicilian cheesecake or just with honey, strawberries over pancakes. I add a tablespoon inside of the meatballs because it makes the meat very tender.

I tried the local Hacienda Malawan ricotta, but it is very dry and with a sour taste. I bought then the imported Italian Galbani. It was exactly the texture and flavor I was looking for, but auchhh...it cost a lot! In the prize it was included the brand, the shipping, the taxes..and who knows what else. At home, just 2 bottles of really fresh milk from Batangas, 1 lemon, a bit of cream if you want and salt. 

How to make ricotta 

1. In a large, heavy pot, add 2L of fresh whole milk, 1/3 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Stir without touching the bottom of the pot for 5 seconds.
2. Place the pot over low heat and heat the milk mixture until it reaches 175F, stirring once or twice.
3. Raise the heat to medium-high and without stirring, let the temperature read 205F. The milk shouldn't boil, but it looks like about to erupt.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and let stir for 10 minutes. You will see the curds and the whey.

1. Lay a fine-meshed sieve over a large bowl and line it with a double layer of damp cheesecloth. Let the cheese drain for 10 minutes and sprinkle salt over the top of the curds.

1. This is the WHEY: a cloudy liquid that separates from the curds. Don't through it out! Like my yaya did thinking it was expired milk. It is packed with nutrition, flavor and protein. Use it for smoothies or even when making bread. Otherwise, you can freeze it up to 6 months (yes, food also expires even if it has been in the freezer!).

1. Ricotta. It keeps well in the fridge, in a covered container for 3 to 5 days.

Note: 

• Ricotta is Italian for "recooked" and is strictly speaking not a cheese because it doesn't require neither cultures nor rennet. The additional cream is optional to enrich the flavour. 
• If you put an ice cube in the pot, moving it around until it is melted, and leaving the cold water inside (just add the ingredients to it), it will protect the pot while heating the milk to high temperatures.

Buen provecho!

It wasn't that hard to make, right?