Homemade Ricotta Cheese!

Italians love their ricotta cheese, but it wasn't until the last few years that it was abundant in grocery stores.  So, what did my Nonna do?  She made her own and I was excited to learn that it is SUPER easy!

Here are the ingredients:

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup lemon juice (you can also use 3 tablespoons of white vinegar)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a saucepan, heat the milk, cream and salt. 

Before it boils you will notice that it gets a little foamy on the top.  The temperature should be about 185 degrees-190 degrees.  At that point, remove from the heat and pour the lemon juice in.  Let that sit about 5 minutes and then pour the mixture in a small mesh colander lined with cheesecloth.

Let that drain a few hours, then gather the cheesecloth and squeeze any excess juice.

After a few hours you can see a huge difference!

 



The ricotta can be refrigerated 4-5 days before use.

My dad said that if Nonna didn't make her own ricotta, she would send my Nonnu to a store on The Hill (the Italian neighborhood in St. Louis, MO).  He would bring it home warm and they would spread it on bread, with a little sugar, for a sweet treat!

Mangia!