Homemade Ricotta

When my mother was growing up, she lived in a very small Italian village called Roccamontepiano. It was a small village located at the tip of the Gran Sasso Mountains near the City of Chieti. The current population is about 1800 people. When she grew up, they lived off the land. They did not have the convenience of hopping into the car and go to the grocery store. They had their own chickens, sheep and cultivated their own vegetables. Water was fetched every day from the well. The day was spent either in the fields, tending the animals, cooking or making household items (including their own fabric).

I am going to share with you today a recipe on how to make homemade ricotta. Nothing beats homemade ricotta!

Ingredients

2L (8 cups) whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
juice of one lemon

large sieve and cheesecloth

Line a large sieve with the cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

Bring the milk, cream and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low and stir constantly. You are going to start seeing the milk to curdle. Stir for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let drain for about an hour.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain for about an hour

Discard the liquid, cover the ricotta and refrigerate.

 

 

Ricotta can be eaten on its own, or as a delicious breakfast. Sweeten with some honey, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and cinnamon.

Serve this as a snack or breakfast