The Time I Needed Ricotta...

I had it set in my mind that I was going to make this pasta dish that my sister had mentioned.  I thought I had everything, which ususally means I do not and I should check my list again.  After I went to my refrigerator and saw that I was indeed missing a key ingredient of Ricotta, I decided to make some.  When I browsed the world wide web for recipes I came up with a delicious one by the fabulous Barefoot Contessa.  However, there were a few problems: 1) I needed heavy cream...didn't have it.  2) needed white wine vinegar...didn't have it.  Therefore I moved on to finding a recipe with only three ingredients that I did have: Whole Milk, Salt and Lemon.

Thus I was able to conjure this one up.  

3c Whole Milk

2T Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp salt

This is my new favorite milk.  It is from our farmer's market and it is low temp. pasteurized.  So it's as close to Raw milk as I will get with a ten foot pole. (I'm paranoid)

 This next step is key.  Juice the whole lemon, even though I told you you only needed 2T.  This is because when you spill the first measured amount all over the kitchen floor, you will have another dose ready.

Next you heat the milk and salt slowly until it reaches 190 F.  Be sure you stir constantly to avoid the milk scorching.  And keep your aproned belly away from the burner.

Once you reach the desired temp, turn off the heat and pour in the lemon juice.  Stir only 2-3 times and let it sit for 5 min.  After this you pour into a double layer of cheese cloth over a colander into a bowl.  

You can tie it up and let it cool for 30min to 2 hours depending on the consistency you are desiring.

This was my finished product.  I mixed it in with linguini, asparagus, tomatoes and lemon chicken.  I also mashed some blackberries with it for Maggie.  It was yummy!

Also, save the whey and add it to whatever recipe to boost the protein.

I modified this recipe from this blog.