Ricotta is a fresh Italian cheese known for its light, creamy texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor. Unlike cottage cheese, which it is often compared to, it has much less tang and a smoother texture. Despite being called a cheese, it's technically a dairy by-product — traditionally made from the whey that is left over after producing other cheeses like mozzarella or provolone.
It is famously called ricotta because the whey is re-cooked or ri-cotta to create the fresh product.
The whey is heated to near boiling with a little additional milk. Then rennet is added, which causes the remaining proteins to coagulate. Rennet is a complex set of enzymes created in the stomachs of ruminant animals (animals that chew their cud). The curds are carefully stirred using a special whisk-like tool. When they are ready, the curds are skimmed off, then drained in baskets. This is why the recipes for making ricotta at home using vinegar or lemon juice give you a product that is more akin to fresh cheeses like farmer cheese. The only good tutorial I’ve seen to make real ricotta at home is from long-time cookbook author and teacher Rosetta Costantino.
Fresh ricotta is being made in Puglia at Masseria Cappella. Photo by Evan Kleiman.
But here in Southern California, we’re lucky to have several artisan cheese makers who produce excellent ricotta. I’ve listed some of my favorites below. Always call supermarkets to check that the cheese is in stock. Bellwether seems to be the most consistently available. They also occasionally have sheep’s milk ricotta at the market. It’s a treat and is the most traditional way of making ricotta in Italy.
In Italy, my favorite way to eat ricotta is as part of a simple lunch. It anchors the table with some charcuterie and a simple cold vegetable salad. A generous smear of ricotta on bruschetta, then topped with a sauté of spring vegetables is also a favorite. Or just top the ricotta with a drizzle of honey.
But it is incredibly versatile and can be used as a quick addition to create more interest in a simple pasta dish (ricotta vodka sauce anyone?), or you can use it in stuffed pastas like shells or ravioli, and of course lasagna or other baked pastas. But it’s also wonderful in baked goods. Try flourless Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe. The crumb is soft with it, or create fritters, or my favorite ricotta gnocchi. One of my go-to quick dinners is a ricotta frittata made by lightly beating a little ricotta into beaten eggs with parmesan. Delicious. And have you ever added ricotta to your meatball mixture? It makes them so tender.
Here are some more of my favorite recipes.
Evan’s beet-ricotta gnocchi. Photo courtesy of Nealey Dozier Thompson.
By the time I closed my restaurant Angeli, this was one of the top five favorite dishes. The fuchsia color created by grating a bit of roasted beet into the ricotta mixture is striking. The gnocchetti or gnudi are cloud-like. You can leave out the beet and leave them white. I serve the beet gnocchi topped with melted butter and sage, the plain served with a simple tomato sauce.
The secret to using ricotta in pasta is to loosen it a bit with a couple tablespoons of pasta cooking water before adding the pasta to the bowl. You can sauté vegetables first in olive oil with a little garlic or onion. Or you can add vegetables like chopped spinach or peas to the pasta cooking water. This is one of those elastic cooking ideas more than a recipe. David Tanis does a version with zucchini and basil that is wonderful for summer. But this time of year, use sugar snap peas cut on the bias or asparagus. Add leeks. You get the idea.
Deconstructed cannoli aka cannoli nachos. Photo by Evan Kleiman.
I love cannoli, but I can’t be bothered to make the tubes, so I just make the dough, roll it out, and cut it into squares. Serve with a mixture of sweetened ricotta with a bit of cinnamon and chopped chocolate. Add grated orange zest if you like. I can actually eat a bowl of this mixture without the fried dough. You can also serve it in a bowl with fruit as dippers.
Here in the U.S., the type of whole milk ricotta you can buy in the supermarket occasionally has an unpleasant grainy texture. There should be no graininess in good ricotta. So for the recipes and uses I’m suggesting in this conversation, please seek out traditional Italian-style ricotta. It is occasionally referred to as “basket” ricotta because it’s packaged in a little plastic basket that allows the whey to continue to drain. There are a few makers here in California who make excellent products.
Bellwether Farms
Bristol Farms, Whole Foods, Lazy Acres, Erewhon, Gelson’s
Gioia Cheese
Bay Cities
Angelo and Franco
Whole Foods, Vons Pavilions, Costco
DiStefano Cheese
Home delivery