I mentioned last week in my cheesemaking post that we also made ricotta and promised to share how we did that...so here it is! It was unbelievably simple and the results were delicious!
We simply took the whey that was leftover after making our cheddar cheese, put it back into the pot, and brought it to about 195-200 degrees, being careful that it didn't boil. After it reached this temperature, small curds began to form in it.
When the curds appeared, we took it off the heat, let it sit for 10 minutes, and ladled the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander to drain. We lightly salted it (herbs can also be added at this point if desired) and put it into a container to use for lasagna or anything else we'd like to. We got close to a pound of ricotta....so from 2 gallons of raw milk we yielded almost 2.5 pounds of cheddar, almost a pound of ricotta, and close to a gallon of whey that can be used to soak my bread dough or for various other uses.
I happened to have a store-bought tub of ricotta in the refrigerator so we did a taste test comparison. It was SO. MUCH. BETTER. It has such a rich, almost buttery flavor and creamy texture. The store-bought stuff actually was virtually tasteless when compared to it.
So there you have it! Incredibly simple, cost-effective, DELICIOUS, and healthy ricotta cheese!
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I'm impressed you actually made ricotta cheese! :)
ReplyDeleteGrowing up my grandma always made homemade cheese. I think this is a GREAT!!! idea. I will have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteGeri
It has been a long time since I've made cheese. I need to again. Thanks for posting :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
Really?? Wow, I've never heard of trying this! I so admire how you do so many things completely homemade.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you so much for commenting on my featured interview on la dolce vita blog. I truly do appreciate it.
I've seen this recipe a few times but have never tried it. I'm sure its better for you.
ReplyDeleteKara, good job. You are so handy.Thanks for helping us do it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat, post! Thanks for joining in on Real Food Wednesday. :)
ReplyDeleteKelly