Riccota
Italy
Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
Ingredients 4 ingredients
- 2 qt Milk
- 1/4 c Fresh lemon juice
- 3 tb Distilled white vinegar OR
- Salt (if desired)
Possible health benefits
General information, not medical advice.
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Lemon juice
High in vitamin C · 39 mg per 100 g, 48% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage.
11 more authorised claims
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of gums.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of teeth.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal psychological function.
- Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
- Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Vitamin C contributes to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E.
- Vitamin C increases iron absorption.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. NIH fact sheet
Nutrients per 100 g of “Lemon juice, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.
Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
Method
Chef Wood
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- Pour the milk into a heavy stainless-steel or enameled saucepan and stir in the white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Set the pot over very low heat and bring the milk very slowly to a simmer (a reading of 200 degrees on a thermometer). There will be fine beads around the edge of the milk, which will look foamy but will not appear to be boiling.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set it, covered, in a spot where it can remain undisturbed and where the temperature will remain fairly uniform at a reading between 80 and 100 degrees. (An unheated oven, without a pilot light, is a good spot.) Let the milk stand for about 6 hours, or until a solik curd floats above the liquid (the whey). More or less time may be required, depending on the temperature of the environment and the characteristics of the milk.
- Line a fine sieve with doubled, dampened cheesecloth (or, better yet, two layers of very fine-mesh nylon curtain netting, dampened) and set it over a bowl. Dip the curds and whey into the sieve and allow the whey to drain off until the ricotta is yogurtlike. If you want firmer cheese, tie the corners of the cloth to form a bag and hang it up to drain further. (In warm weather, the draining might well be completed in the refrigerator.)
- When the texture of the ricotta is to your liking, add a little salt (from 1/4 to 1/2 t) if you wish. Store the cheese, covered, in the refrigerator. It will be at its best after it has chilled for 24 hours, and will keep well for 4 or 5 days.
- Author's notes: Unlike most other fresh cheeses-cottage and cream cheese, for example-the curd of this bland, light cheese is fromed from the direct addition of acid to the milk, not by fermentation. For that reason the time required to make it is generally short. If you haven't used this Italian favorite before, try it in place of cottage cheese, as well as in Italian recipes for such dishes as lasagne and manicotti. You'll find it is a bit creamier than most cottage cheeses, with a much finer curd. For a pleasant light milk dessert, sweeten ricotta slightly and top it with a sprinkling of grated chocolate or cinnamon.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Mixing bowl
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Grater
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Wooden spoon
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Sieve
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Colander
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Kitchen thermometer