Italian Basket Cheese, Ricotta and Ricotta Salata

In Italy, basket cheese is is called formaggio fresca (fresh cheese) and is readily available all year long for use as both recipe ingredient and as a table cheese, just as ricotta is eaten, but with a less salty and milder flavor. Easter which is used to make the traditional pizzagaina or pastiera di grano (wheat grain pie) recipes..

Ingredients

• 1 gallon whole milk 1/4 teaspoon rennet

• 1/4 teaspoon rennet

• 1/4 teaspoon salt (basket cheese is less salty than ricotta)

Directions

1.     Pour the milk into a large pot on medium heat, stir constantly to bring it 95 F, then turn off the heat.

2.     Add the rennet and mix well, turning only in one direction for 30 seconds, then use a large spatula as a brake, placing it vertically into one side of the milk to stop its movement.

3.     Let stand for 30 minutes without any movement. The milk will start to solidify due to the curdling effect of the rennet.

4.     With a long chef’s knife or large metal cake decorating spatula (long enough to reach the bottom of the pot), gently cut the curd in a vertical grid pattern 2″ apart. Then slice at a low angle to cut the vertical columns of curd into rough cubes.

5.     Allow to rest for 30 minutes, then using a large whisk, gently break the curd, into small bean-sized pieces. Let rest for 1 hour.

6.     After resting, the cheese curds will have separated from the whey. Separate the cheese from the whey, press it lightly with your hands so that the bulk of the liquid comes out and put the cheese in a plastic cheese basket (in Italian, fuscelle).  If you would like to make ricotta after this recipe, save the whey in the pot!

7.     Place the basket onto a shallow plate, then cover the basket with a weight (small pot, soup can, etc.) allowing to dry for 24 hours in the refrigerator.