For the month of March we had the theme of “chicken” as the special ingredient. And although March is not over yet, I think there is no harm in announcing next month’s ingredient. It is…. ricotta cheese.
There are some wonderful recipes which uses this cheese and I’m happy to feature 5 weeks of various recipes including lunch recipes and desserts.
Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta is a cheese which comes from mature female sheep, also called ewes. Today they also use cow’s milk to make the cheese. The word ricotta means, “re-cooked”. This is in reference to the twice cooked cheese.
When cheese begins to curdle during processing, the curds separate from the liquid. The liquid is the whey. The whey is removed and it is fermented again. When it is brought to near boiling additional curds start to form. The liquid or whey is drained again and this becomes your ricotta. Of course there is a process involved here and there are special notations here and there. I know it’s been said it can be made at home but I’m not sure I’m ready to tackle that one yet!
Ricotta is naturally low in fat and salt. Some people who are lactose intolerant have used tofu as a substitute for ricotta, but the taste will not be the same. I have made excellent lasagna using tofu, but I mixed in various cheeses as well.
I won’t list all the recipes I have planned until April arrives so you will have to be patient. But some of these recipes I’ve used many times and a few others I haven’t used as much as I would like. So I am quite excited for all we have in store and I know you will be happy too!
Liz
Related posts:
- A Sweet Italian Dessert – Ricotta and Apricot Preserves Ricotta is a creamy cheese made from the whey byproduct during the cheese making process. It means recooked, due to...
- Upcoming Chicken Recipes for the Month of March I had a hard time determining what chicken recipes to do for the rest of the month of March. As...
- Eating Well – New Theme with Food Celebrities This past Sunday I saw an article in the Fredericksburg, VA newspaper The Free Lance Star titled, TV chefs want...
- Is Zucchini Lasagna Just for Veggie Freaks? I’m not sure which is worse, being called a “Veggie Nut Job” or as my father once called my husband,...
- Pizza Ideas for Theme Parties Pizza Ideas for Theme Parties Guest Post by Chris Molnar Pizza and parties go hand-in-hand, especially at birthday parties, and...