Homemade Ricotta Cheese

We made some ricotta cheese today with two litres of blue top,  yellow sticker, reduced milk that was going out of date.

Recipe

2 litres of full fat milk

100ml of white vinegar

1 tsp salt

Muslin for straining

Method

1. .In a large, deep  saucepan heat the milk over a medium heat and add a teaspoon of salt. Stir to dissolve it.
2. Leave until bubbles start on the surface and stir a couple of times with a wooden spoon.
3. Take the spoon out and add the vinegar. The milk will start to curdle and small lumps (the curds) will float to the surface.
4. Use the spoon to gently bring the curds to the centre of the pan so as to make room for more to rise.
5. When the mixture comes to a full boil take the pan off the heat, put a lid on and leave for 15 minutes.
6. In a wide, shallow sieve place some muslin (or cheese cloth)  and place the sieve over a large bowl.
7. Allow the steam to escape as you take the lid off the pan and then with a slotted spoon lift the curds gently out of the pan, allowing the excess liquid to drain, and place the curds into the sieve. (Sometimes I just pour it gently)
8. Leave the curds to sit in the strainer for 15 minutes and then gently lift the muslin and bring the edges together to form a ball and gently squeeze out any excess liquid until you reach the consistency you want.

You can use the cheese straight away or you can store it in an air tight container for 2 days in the fridge. I added chopped herbs to mine this time. Mr S is going to make some home made ravioli  with it tomorrow. ,  You can also use it to stuff cannoli, crumbled on salad with tomatoes and lemon juice,  eat with crackers, and in quiches etc. There are loads of recipes on line. It tastes lovely.