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Homemade Ricotta
Equipment
- food thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4-6 tsp salt
- 6-8 tbsp vinegar
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pot, on a medium low flame, add milk and cream. Stir frequently.
- When milk reaches 190°-200℉ remove from heat. (Roughly 20 minutes)
- Once off the heat, add salt and vinegar and stir lightly to create curdles. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Strain into preferred method (either cheese cloths or containers). If you see the whey liquid is still milk colored, you can add more vinegar. The way should be a yellow color which shows that all the curdles have separated.
Video
My Nonna’s Ricotta
If you’ve ever taken the time to read these parts of the recipe – first of all thank you!- and secondly, you would know that my Nonna made me food often because we lived in the same household. There are some foods that bring me nostalgic memories and warm butterflies. Ricotta is one of those things. My dad and I were obsessed with hot and fresh ricotta and my Nonna would make it at the crack of dawn so that by the time we woke up for school and work, it was hot and ready.
She would take a loaf of semolina bread and cut some slices diagonally and toast them in the pan. She would slather on the creamy ricotta, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on it. And there was breakfast. It was amazing. I can remember waking up early and seeing her standing over this pot slowly stirring and I thought “what a labor of love.”
Now that my dad has passed and my Nonna is 93 years old, well, that nostalgic moment is slowly fading. In an effort to feel those emotions again, I decided to try and make ricotta and while it definitely is not my Nonna’s, it is still pretty darn good.
I wish I knew how my Nonna made hers, I am almost positive she used sour cream so if anyone out there has a Sicilian Nonna who uses that, well let me know so I can test it out please and thank you!
