A good, fresh ricotta recipe should be part of every cook's repertoire. That being said, somehow, four or five years have passed since I last made fresh ricotta in my own kitchen. I used to make it often in my old apartment in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco. The gem of that particular apartment was a beautiful, white, four-burner, vintage Wedgewood stove placed centrally upon a floor made of black-and-white checked linoleum. No one with good conscience could have lived in that apartment and not put that stove to good use. Unfortunately the love affair was short-lived, she was afflicted with slow-gas leak, PG+E condemned her, and she would have to be replaced - unfortunately with something new and shiny, and without nearly as much character.





Ricotta is traditionally made from the whey left over from cheesemaking - from the whey of buffalo mozzarella, sheep's milk pecorino, etc. For those of us without access to cheesemaking by products, delicious fresh ricotta can also be made by using readily available cow's milk - or a blend of cow and goat milk. You will be surprised at how easy it is, and making riotta doesn't requite any special cheesemaking ingredients like, for example, rennett. Give it a go.

Ricotta tastes and smells like the milk it is made from, so use the best and freshest dairy you can find. You can control the consistency of your cheese by the length of time you drain it - for a drier ricotta drain for 15 minutes or more, for a ricotta that is a bit creamier, drain for less.