Homemade ricotta: the simple recipe to make it perfect

The homemade ricotta It is a basic and easy preparation to make in the home version: a creamy product, which is prepared 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 serum residue derived from the preparation of cheeses, our recipe, however, provides for a different procedure. In fact, the homemade ricotta is the result of the curd of the fresh whole milkwhich is heated and then citric acid in the form of lemon juice is added to it.

To prepare it you will need soles 2 ingredients: Fresh whole milk and lemon, which you can substitute for apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or wine vinegar for a less overpowering taste. In addition, you will need a large pot, a wooden ladle, a colander, a kitchen towel, a basket, and a kitchen thermometer.

To have a perfect result, make sure that the milk is of good quality and, above all, that it reaches the proper temperature before pouring in the lemon juice: otherwise, in fact, it will not curdle.

With the indicated doses you will get approx. 500g ricotta: silky and with a delicate flavor, it will be perfect to use for filling ravioli, other fresh pasta, savory tarts, mille-feuille, strudel and other sweets, to flavor pasta or to eat simply, spread on a slice of toasted bread and seasoned 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 alike at the first taste.

Find out how to make homemade ricotta by following the step-by-step procedure and tips, and try many ricotta-based recipes.

How to prepare homemade ricotta

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

Meanwhile, squeeze the lemon. 2Filter the juice through a fine mesh strainer and reserve.

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 bit around the edges.

Once the indicated temperature is reached, quickly remove the milk from the heat, add the lemon juice 4 and mix with a wooden spoon – the first cottage cheese will begin to form. Let stand for ten minutes.

Remove the pot and mix again breaking up the curds. 5.

Line a strainer with clean muslin or a very fine kitchen towel, then pour in the curds and strain to remove excess liquid. 6.

season with salt 7 and mix again.

Transfer the cottage cheese to a classic fuscella with a capacity of approximately 250 g. 8Compact the surface with the back of a spoon and allow to drain in a cool place or in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

After the indicated time, turn the ricotta over onto a cutting board. 9 or on a serving plate – the homemade ricotta is ready to serve.

Tips and Variations

When you put the cottage cheese on the kitchen towel, you can also squeeze it all out for a drier ricotta, ideal for fillings. In general, however, the traditional recipe wants the ricotta to be moist.

For the vegan variant, use the soy milk the alter vegetable drinks instead of whole milk. You can also flavor the ricotta to your liking, with a pinch of paprika or the herbs of your choice, such as rosemary and chives.

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

storage

Homemade ricotta can be kept in the fridge for Three dayswell covered with transparent film. Freezing is not recommended.