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Sheep Milk Ricotta


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Cheesetique has 3 pounds left of this delicious but highly perishable cheese. If you have any inclination to try it and are anywhere near Del Ray, please stop in tonight and buy some. (It was a special order and I told the new manager I'd help her sell the rest.) Thanks.

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Is that why I've never seen or noticed it at Whole Foods (highly perishable)?

Earlier this week I picked up some cow's milk fresh ricotta at Balducci's in Bethesda, and was wondering where I could find the sheep's milk variety. After having it at 2 Amy's, I've been on a quest.

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Is that why I've never seen or noticed it at Whole Foods (highly perishable)?

That seems likely. Cheesetique can order it for you.

It sounds interesting! What are some of your favorite ways to consume this delicacy?

I've never cooked with it before, but it's on the menu tonight. I'm trying to recreate a dish from Palena (wish me luck). I'll report in the Dinner thread.

I love sweetened ricotta in breakfast and dessert dishes, but this one seems too tangy. Maybe a certain forum host can suggest other ideas...? :angry:

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I'm not a certain forum host, but it's good in Pasta alla Norma: penne or other sturdy macaroni, and a rather dry sauce of eggplant, plum tomatoes [seeded & don't use the juice], EVOO, basil and I think onion, you'd have to check. Might be garlic instead. Grated Pecorino at end when you toss pasta w the sauce and spoonfuls of the ricotta. (N.B. Ricotta salata is traditional, but this is good.)

Great w eggplant in general and ditto re pasta sauced w roasted, grilled or sautéed vegetables such as zucchini now, asparagus in the spring.

Oh, and stuffed into slippery roasted red peppers, flayed, eviscerated, but otherwise left intact.

Squash blossoms.

Savory pies w chopped greens.

You can always stuff pasta, too. :angry:

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Using 2 Amys Ricotta & Arugula Salad, or more recently Ricotta & Heirloom Tomato Salad, as an inspiration, we had a couple spoonfuls (1/2 cup per serving?) of fresh ricotta, lightly salted, olive oiled and a quick hit of lemon zest, topped with watercress which was also lightly oiled and lemon juiced. I think the pepperiness of the watercress (or arugula) pairs well with the creamy ricotta.

Tonight, as the watercress is gone, it will just be olive oil, lemon zest and salt & pepper. Though sweetening it up with honey sounds good too. Next time maybe.

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My stuffed-pasta plans for the sheep milk ricotta have been foiled so far. With running out of time & energy the first night, I mixed some of the ricotta in with pasta, basil and uncooked wonderful home-grown tomatoes (thank you again, Tomato Fairy!) for a rather decadent and totally delicious mac & cheese.

The stuffed-pasta plans last night were put on hold by the appearance of an adorable stray dog named Noah. By the time we reunited him with his dog-sitters, my dinner ended up being toast with leftover caponata topped with a bit more of the sheep milk ricotta.

So at this point, I am now running a study on the perishability of sheep milk ricotta. :angry: If it still tastes okay by this evening, I plan on making simple basil/ricotta ravioli from a recipe in "Lorenza's Pasta" by Lorenza de' Medici. But cannelloni is also a tempting thought... B)

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Is that why I've never seen or noticed it at Whole Foods (highly perishable)?

When the shopkeeper at Caseificio Pienza Solp learned that I was staying in an agriturismo with a full kitchen, she generously gifted me with a one-kilo tub of ricotta made fresh that morning...but only after I promised that I'd eat it that night. Obviously, one kilo is a lot of cheese even for a cheese-head like myself, but I started in on it after dinner, and continued over the next two days. It was still "good" two days later in the way that we would expect an industrial ricotta to be, but on that first day there was a delicateness to the flavor and texture (perhaps from the as-yet-unsettled whey?) unlike any ricotta I've had elsewhere. I had it for breakfast the next day, with a little drizzle of chestnut honey, and it was delicious...but not quite as good as 10 hours earlier. If you ever have the good fortune to experience truly fresh ricotta, go for it.

BTW, if you ever see Solp's cave-aged pecorino ("stagionata in grotta"), it's deeeeeeeeelicious.

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