Before I formally begin this edition of The Flavor Chronicle, I would like to share with you that Sunday is the 53rd annual Morgan Hill Haru Matsuri (spring festival), which starts at 11 a.m. This is one of my favorite local festivals where you are surrounded by an abundance and variety of wonderful Japanese foods. Some of the food items include udon, sushi, manju and, of course, the much sought after and well-known chicken teriyaki boxes. If you don’t already have plans for this Sunday, consider a visit and bring your appetite.
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Lasagna is not thrifty pasta. Between the cost of the cheeses, meat and sauce, the dollars add up. For special holiday pasta, I am fine with the cost because I know it puts smiles on the faces of my family. What I wasn’t prepared for when procuring the last of my ingredients two weekends ago was that the bulk ricotta was completely out of stock. I was not going to pay the higher per ounce price of multiple smaller containers. What else would a persnickety self-taught amateur chef like myself do in this situation? I would cut costs and make my own.
As luck would have it, two days before my grocery store visit, I came across an episode of the online food series, “Chow Ciao” with Chef Fabio Viviani. Chef Viviani demonstrated how to made his own ricotta for cannoli. I pulled up the recipe on my smart phone and secured my alternate ingredients.
The method for making this ricotta is not the typical one. Ricotta literally means “recooked.” After cheese – such as mozzarella – is made, the remaining whey is allowed to naturally increase its acid content. The whey is then heated to near boiling and the ricotta curds are formed from the remaining proteins. Chef Viviani uses milk and heavy cream to make his ricotta instead of whey. For the extra acid, which encourages the curdling, he adds lemon juice.
The results from my ricotta experiment were better than imagined. The use of heavy cream makes the ricotta very silky. I liked the use of lemon juice, which gave the ricotta a slight essence of lemon flavor. I found the flavor unique and appealing, but it did not take away from the quality of the finished lasagna. I also discovered that one large lemon yields just under the required 1/4 cup of juice. Instead of cheesecloth, I used one of my flour sack dishtowels that I keep for food use only.
Homemade Ricotta
From Fabio Viviani of Yahoo Shine
Yield: 2 cups ricotta
Ingredients
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• Pinch Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus additional, as needed
Step 1: Line a sieve or colander with two layers of moistened cheesecloth, and place over a bowl. Use a rubber band to secure the cheesecloth around the edge of the colander.
Step 2: In a large saucepan, bring milk and heavy cream to a light simmer over medium heat, until the milk reaches a temperature of 190 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add salt and lemon juice. Gently stir to combine. The curds should separate from the whey almost immediately. If they do not, add additional lemon juice, as needed, in one tablespoon increments. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for two hours at room temperature.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into the prepared colander, and gently squeeze the cheesecloth to release as much moisture as possible. Allow the whey to drain, about 30 minutes to an hour, and then squeeze the cheesecloth again. Discard the whey and place the colander back in the bowl. Chill the ricotta thoroughly before use. More whey will continue to drain as the ricotta chills. The ricotta can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
