Fresh Ricotta- A simple cheese recipe you can use in a variety of recipes.
Makes about 2 cups
7 cups unhomogenized whole milk
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar or 4 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Step 1. Put the milk into a stainless steel saucepan and stir in the vinegar or lemon juice.
Step 2. Put the pan over very low heat and bring the milk up to a temperature of 203℉.
Step 3. Remove from the heat and leave in a warm place–77-104℉–for about 6 hours, or until it separates into solid curds and liquid whey.
Step 4. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and ladle in the curds and whey. Once drained you should be left with ricotta that has the consistency of thick yogurt. For a firmer ricotta, draw the cheesecloth into a bag and hang up over a bowl in a cool place to drain until the desired texture is reached. Add salt to taste and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It is at its best eaten after 24 hours.
If you have chickens, soak some scratch in the whey-they love it!
You can find unhomogenized whole milk on the Online Market.
Recipe taken from A Country Cook’s Kitchen by Alison Walker.