Ricotta Cheese

Oh. My. Gosh. Homemade ricotta is amazing! I can't believe it has taken me this long to discover the glorious results of this cheesy delight. Ok, so before I made this I did a ton of research - I mean, taking on the task of making homemade cheese is a little daunting at first. What I realized in my research is that there are a lot of variations on homemade ricotta ingredients and processes. I took a gamble and tried the recipe listed below as variations of it kept popping up as being successful and delicious. My gamble paid off! The ricotta came out smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet. Sometimes the store-bought ricotta can be a little grainy and plastic tasting in my opinion, but this had none of those negative aspects at all. Truly yummy! This recipe made 3 baseball-sized balls of ricotta cheese, which was just enough for a big pan of homemade lasagna (yum!). Please try this recipe, it is so good! Enjoy :o)

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients

1/2 gallon whole milk - organic ultra pasteurized if possible

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

Hardware:

thermometer

cheesecloth (18 x18 in squares)

colander

kitchen twine

slotted spoon

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot and place over medium low heat. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally for the first 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stop stirring, insert a thermometer, and allow the mixture to continue cooking over medium low heat (make sure mixture does not boil, so adjust heat as necessary). Heat the mixture to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature hits 190, remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit for 1 hour. 

While the milk mixture sits, prepare a colander by layering 3 pieces of cheesecloth inside.

After 1 hour, scoop 1/3 of the curds into the cheesecloth lined colander. Pull up the corner and sides of the cheesecloth and tie using some string. Repeat with the other two pieces of cheesecloth and the remaining curds. Hang the cheese bundles on a wooden spoon placed over a bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour to drain. After one hour, move the cheese to the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, cut open the bundles and enjoy!

Indian Butter Chicken

Well, I'm well on my way. This is my first successful recipe that I can check off of my 30 by 30 list. Yay!  (I also attempted the naan to go with it, but that recipe will require a little experimentation before it makes the list.) One of my favorite parts of the recipe is how little butter there actually is in it - I was mentally prepared to be using much more, so being able to use a small amount made me happy. This Butter Chicken recipe closely rivals that of our old local Indian restaurant in the South End, and I'm pretty sure I could eat all of it by myself. :o) Enjoy!

Indian Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)

Serves 4

 Ingredients

1 tbsp. peanut oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

¼ cup white onion, chopped

2 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root

1 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)

½ c. plain yogurt

¾ c. half-and-half

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

¼ c. water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. peanut oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size chunks

1 tsp. garam masala

1 pinch cayenne pepper

3 tbsp. golden raisins

3 tbsp. slivered almonds

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and shallot and sauté until the onion is translucent and softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in butter, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, cumin bay leaf, and cayenne and cook for one minute until fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and water, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the yogurt and half-and-half. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about ten minutes until slightly thickened.

In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp. peanut oil in a large skillet. Add the cubed chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. To the chicken, add 1 tsp. garam masala and 1 pinch cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken to the tomato sauce mixture and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until flavors are blended. Add the golden raisins and almonds. Remove the bay leaves and adjust seasoning. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice, alongside naan bread.