Ricotta cheese

As I've previously mentioned, I've been craving all things cheese. And all kinds of cheese, as you can tell by the difference between this cheese dish and the one I made today.

As it turns out, ricotta is very easy to make, and it seems pretty hard to screw up, too. The only drawback is that it takes so much milk to make the cheese. I used a half gallon for this 1-1/2 cups of ricotta!

I decided to try it drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, to really be able to taste the flavor of the cheese the first time I made it. Next time, I'll use it in a recipe, such as for lasagna or gnocchi.

Ricotta cheese (makes 1-1/2 cups)

8 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.) Bring milk and salt to a simmer over medium heat.

2.) Add the lemon juice, stir, and continue cooking 2 minutes. The mixture will curdle.

3.) Take off heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the curds and put them in a cheesecloth-lined (four layers) colander. Drain for 1 minute.

4.) Transfer cheese to a bowl, cover, and chill about 3 hours.