This week I made Ricotta Gnocchi, which had gnocchi and homemade ricotta and (store bought) parmigiano romano in honor of cheese week.

Homemade ricotta is so simple to make – you heat whole milk on the stove until it reaches 185°F, and then you add about a quarter cup of lemon juice and stir until the whey has completely broken from the curd (liquid becomes yellowish and translucent). Then you strain it in cheesecloth until it’s at your desired consistency! Voila, you’ve made cheese! (fyi: paneer, a white Indian cheese that is used like tofu or meet in many dishes, is exactly the same cheese as this ricotta – the only difference is it is pressed into a brick for several hours so that it holds its shape and can be cut into pieces)