Homemade Ricotta

I am really getting into cheese making! Yesterday I tried making ricotta, mmmmm! Even my kitty Frida couldn't resist, seen above. I used the freshly made cheese to make this dish I saw highlighted on Tastespotting last week and just had to try: Three Cheese Polenta Pie. Best of all, with the recipe I was also able to use some of my homemade mozzarella too. Absolutely scrumptious! I served it with zucchini that I stewed in tomatoes and herbs, and it paired very nicely.

So here are a few photos of the ricotta-making process. Above I have heated the milk w/the salt, etc to the proper temperature and let it curdle. Then I ladeled the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer.

Above I have tied the cheesecloth around the curds and let it hang from my kitchen sink faucet so the rest of the whey could drain from curds, for about a half hour.

And here I have unwrapped the cheesecloth and have my ricotta! I have been using the book Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses by Ricki Carroll. It is possible to make ricotta using the whey leftover from making mozzarella, if you use the whey within 3 three hours of making the mozarrella. Otherwise, ricotta can be made using this recipe or others, such as this very simple recipe.