Ricotta salata

Ricotta salata

What it is

Ricotta means recooked: it is made from the whey left over from another cheese, reheated until the last proteins surface. Salting, pressing and drying that same curd for at least ninety days turns something that spoils in three days into a block that keeps for months — a preservation trick, not a different recipe.

In the kitchen

It grates and shaves but it will not melt: there is no casein network left to stretch. Add it off the heat, at the end, the way you would add salt.

Goes with

Eggplant Tomato Basil Olive oil San Marzano tomato Zucchini Mint Black pepper

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