ricotta cheese : Ricotta (Italian word meaning who annealed ") is a cheese frais Italian (20-30% fat), made from whey other cheeses (whey de cow, sheep or goat, separated or mixed).
The ricotta keeps the shape of its container molding.
The legend says that it was the Italian Catholic monk Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) who taught the recipe ricotta.
Of Italian descent from the regions of Piedmont et Lombardie, ricotta is a fresh cheese (white and creamy) made with sheep or goat whey.
"Ricotta" is the usual Italian name for an Italian or Maltese dairy preparation (irkotta in Maltese) of fresh cheese available in almost all regions of Italy. Ricotta is also made in Malta and widely used in Maltese cuisine.
The name “ricotta” is part of the public domain and can therefore be used throughout the world for different cheeses.
There are many ricotta in Italy and two designations of origin are protected at European level thanks to the Protected Designation of Origin label (AOP): ricotta romana obtained from whey de whole milk de sheep from the Lazio region and the ricotta di bufala campana which is obtained from whey sweet whole milk from buffalo from certain geographical areas included in the Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise regions.
Exported ricottas are made with milk de cow and made from whey (from the production of other cheeses), which is cooked a second time.
– In Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission defines cheeses using the name "ricotta" as made from whole or partially milk skimmed and not of whey, first milk de buffalo as well as sheep but also goat or cow. The production is done in two phases, therenneting and curdling. For renneting, the milk is first warmed to its natural temperature of ~40-50°C and acidified with a patented acid like lemon juice or vinaigre. It is the sero-proteins contained in the liquid part of the milk which separate from the whey during precipitation or curdling. Unlike the “rennet curd” which is not cooked, the second phase consists of cooking the “ricotta curd” at ~80-82°C for 15 to 20 min to obtain the final preparation recovered by superficial outcropping. The proteins concerned are, in particular, thealbumin and globulins. The cooking is stopped for 5 min to consolidate the surface layer which is separated by decantation from the whey or whey. It is this fresh paste which is the basis for the preparation of all the classic cheeses which also undergo a refinement. Here, ricotta is collected to be placed in wicker baskets or cottage cheese tapered to allow thedripping end of whey for one day, then left to dry in a cool room.
There are several methods of obtaining it depending on the country, the quality targeted, and the milk or whey available. An example: the whey is heated for 15 to 20 min at ~80-90°C (“ricotta” in Italian means “annealed”) to trigger flocculation. The flakes (proteins albumin et globulins) are collected using a skimmer and poured into wicker (if not marketed) or plastic strainers for draining. New techniques use the salt saturation reaction to improve yield. The part coagulated by heating is deposited in perforated containers to allow the flow of excess liquid.
Industrial production of ricotta: Like all whey cheeses, industrial ricotta is a way to take advantage of the product resulting from the manufacture of renneted milk cheese: whey (or serum or even whey). The raw material is therefore this necessarily fresh dairy product
The name "ricotta" being part of the public domain, the recipes for its preparation differ according to the breeder-cheesemakers, the artisan-cheesemakers or the dairy factories. Many of these preparations foresee a certain incorporation of milk and/or water during the cooking phase, generally at 40-55°C, but the whey always remains in the majority quantity to make ricotta.
There are also old whey cheeses similar to ricotta:
– In France, the annealed (recuècha) (Massif Central, Aveyron), the brocciu (Corsica), the bush (southern Alps and Provence).
– In Romania and Transylvania, Urdă, again made from whey recovered from the manufacture of other cheeses. Its texture and taste differ from those of ricotta. It is almost always made in molds with the typical half-sphere shape.
The best period for its consumption is from June to September (putting in the meadow of the animals) after a refining of 10 days. When it is industrial, with the deseasonalization of intensively reared cattle providing milk without interruption, it can be produced all year round.
It can be eaten as it is, salt ou sweet, dried ou smoke to be used grated, raw ou cooked, it is used in the preparation of many dishes of Italian or Maltese cuisine.
Ricotta is almost always made in Mussels with the typical truncated cone shape and sold fresh in this form.
Ricotta has a low fat content (about 8 to 24% on total weight, 40% on dry weight) and can, therefore, be part of the composition of many lean diets. It provides between 130-240 kcal per 100g.
Uses of ricotta : With her flavor slightly tangy, ricotta is mainly used in Food, spread of canapés and sandwiches, complete prepared salads, poke of pancakes, make up of Sauces for pasta, of farces, appliances à beignets or to gnocchis. But it can also be served at the end of meal, either with Vinaigrette, either with sucre or jam (or even kneaded with some marsala), because the ricotta can be savor salt ou sweet (it is used for pasta and cakes).
The most common recipes in Italy: Its taste being very sweet, ricotta is often mixed with other foods tasty (sucre, spinach…). Ricotta is one of the ingredients many Italian preparations:
– in addition to certain soupes ou soups.
– based on farce for some preparations sweet et salty like cannoli, cannelloni, ravioli.
– in addition in some recipes. de pasta : pasta nature's with ricotta, pasta with ricotta and spinach, on the pizzas.
Ricotta is notably used in the composition of two desserts famous Italians: the cassate Sicilian and pie cottage cheese, kind of pie garnished with a mixture of ricotta, zest byOrange as well as lemon, sucre, raisins, Almonds as well as pinions,bark byOrange confection as well as egg yolks.
In Malta, ricotta (or irkotta) can be found in Malta under two industrial preparations, namely:
– a more traditional one from whey (whey), a by-product of the manufacture of gbejna (in the plural ġbejniet), a typical Gozitan cheese made from the milk of sheep in Gozo or goat in the rest of the archipelago;
– a more industrial from whey de milk de cow, a by-product of the manufacture of industrial cheeses.
There is also an artisanal family production of irkotta generally from milk whole of sheep, goat, mainly, but also milk de cow. Flocculation is often caused by the addition of seawater.
Irkotta is widely used in Maltese cuisine: Torta ta' l-irkotta (ricotta pie), the cannelloni, the Ravjuls (ravioli) but also in the pastry (delikatezzi): Kannoli ta’l-irkotta (cannon with ricotta), the Sinizza (rolled Asked candied fruits), Żeppoli ta' san Ġużepp (St. Joseph's cabbage) or as in case (snack): the Pastizzi (says pastizz in the singular: fond with ricotta) and the Qassatat ta' l-irkotta (slipper with ricotta).