It seems incredible but with only 3 ingredients it is possible to make fresh cheese and even ricotta at home. The procedure is very simple and only requires small precautions, which will be explained here.
Ingredients:
2 liters of whole milk
2 small lemons (otherwise apple cider vinegar or rennet)
Salt
To make this homemade cheese it’s essential to use whole milk, the result will not be the same if we use low-fat milk. And if possible try to get milk directly from the producer. Some supermarket milks have gone through a strong pasteurization process that worsens the result.
The procedure is very simple. Basically, the separation of the solids and the buttermilk is caused by an acid agent. The only detail to consider is that when using rennet, it’s effect gets canceled at high temperatures, so we must heat the milk without exceeding 37 degrees.
But before starting, I want to highlight that despite using lemon or vinegar, the fresh cheese and ricotta will not have any traces of them or any acid taste.
How to make homemade fresh cheese:
Heat one liter of milk in an aluminum or metal pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Add a pinch of salt. When the first bubbles appear, add the juice of one lemon (or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar), and continue cooking additional 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest. Small flakes will begin to appear and separate from the whey. Use a very fine strainer, kitchen gauze or similar to recover them. Compact them, trying to get rid of any remaining liquid and keep the resulting cheese in the fridge. Ready!
This fresh cheese cheese is also called formagella or primo sale in Italy, depending on the region. It’s sometimes mistakenly called ricotta. Although these two cheeses look alike, they are not the same, as we will see below.
How to make homemade ricotta:
The procedure is identical to the previous one, the only difference is the addition of the buttermilk. Hence the name ricotta, which means re-cooked.
Heat the other liter of milk in the pot, together with the buttermilk obtained before. Make sure the heat is moderate, stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, and add a pinch of salt. Add the lemon or vinegar when you see the first bubbles, continue for 5 more minutes and let it rest.
In this case, we will notice that the flakes are smaller. This is due to a chemical reaction resulting from the higher acid concentration provided by the whey.
The cheese is usually compacted in special baskets called fuscelle in Italian, which give the characteristic shape seen in the photo, as well as allowing any excess liquid to drain.
The remaining buttermilk:
Buttermilk will taste sweet with acid notes. Its shelf life is short and it will only become decidedly acidic when it starts to go bad. It can be used in multiple ways, for example to make pancakes, baked goods, etc., or even to drink it.
Bonus: other homemade products that you can learn to make:
If you have had fun making fresh cheese and ricotta at home, you can also check here how to make stracciatella or homemade butter.