ingredients

For about 500 g of ricotta

Fresh whole milk

2 l

Lemon

1/2

Sale

q.b.

Tools you need

Large pot

1

Wooden ladle

1

Close mesh strainer

1

cheesecloth or light tea towel

1

Ricotta mold

1

Homemade ricotta is a basic preparation that is easy to make in the home version: a creamy product, which is prepared starting from fresh whole milk and following a few simple steps.

While the classic ricotta  is a dairy product that is obtained by cooking a second time (hence “re-cotta”) the residual whey deriving from the preparation of the cheeses, our recipe, on the other hand, provides for a different procedure. In fact, homemade ricotta is the result of curdling fresh whole milk , which is heated and then added with citric acid in the form of lemon juice.

To prepare it you will need only 2 ingredients : fresh whole milk and lemon, which you can replace with apple, rice or wine vinegar for a less decisive flavour. In addition, you will need a large pot, a wooden ladle, a strainer, a tea towel, a basket and a cooking thermometer.

To get a perfect result, make sure the milk is of good quality and, above all, that it reaches the right temperature before pouring in the lemon juice: otherwise, it won’t curdle.

With the indicated doses you will get about 500 g of ricotta : silky and with a delicate flavour, it will be perfect to use for the filling of ravioli , other fresh pasta, savory pies , millefeuille , strudel and other desserts , to season pasta or to be eaten simply , spread on a slice of toasted bread and flavored with a pinch of salt and pepper. It is also excellent for breakfast and as a snack, enriched with sugar or honey: it will conquer young and old at the first taste.

Find out how to prepare homemade ricotta by following the procedure and advice step by step, and try your hand at preparing many ricotta-based recipes .

How to prepare homemade ricotta

Step 1

To make homemade ricotta, start by pouring the milk into a large pot (1). Then, put it to heat over low heat.

Step 2

Meanwhile, squeeze the lemon2, filter the juice with a fine mesh strainer and keep aside.

Step 3

Bring the milk to a temperature between 85 and 90 °C: to check the temperature, get a kitchen thermometer 3. Alternatively, you can use a trial and error method and wait for the milk to froth a little around the edges.

Step 4

Once the indicated temperature has been reached, quickly remove the milk from the heat, add the lemon juice4and mix with a wooden spoon: the first cottage cheese will begin to form. Let it rest for ten minutes.

Step 5

Take the pot back and mix again breaking up the curd5.

Step 6

Line a colander with clean muslin or a very thin tea towel, then pour in the curd and strain to remove excess liquid6.

Step 7

Season with salt7and mix again.

Step 8

Transfer the cottage cheese into a classic fuscella with a capacity of about 250 g8, compact the surface with the back of a spoon and leave to drain in a cool place or in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Step 9

After the indicated time, flip the ricotta onto a cutting board9or on a serving plate: the homemade ricotta is ready to be served.

Tips and variations

When you put the cottage cheese in the tea towel, you can also squeeze everything to obtain a drier ricotta, ideal for fillings. In general, however, the traditional recipe wants the ricotta to be moist.

For the vegan variant, use soy milk or other plant-based drinks instead of whole milk. You can also flavor the ricotta according to your taste, with a pinch of paprika or herbs of your choice, such as rosemary and chives.

If you don’t have a fuscella, you can reuse a ricotta jar, a yogurt jar or a muffin tin.

storage

Homemade ricotta can be kept in the fridge for 3 days , well covered with transparent film. Freezing is not recommended.