I loved both of your faces when you tried the ricotta for the first time!! Eva's fork never stopped spinning! Hahaha. It brought so many memories from our tour (and some images also!)
Velveeta. 🤪 La mozzarella è molto semplice, si? C’è un italiano a Houston che vende la ricotta affumicata al farmers market. Molto buono. Forse affumicate la ricotta nel smoker?
There’s nothing better than the look on Eva’s face when she enjoys a bite of something delicious. Thanks guys. Your videos are always so well done and fun to watch!
I interviewed some older Italian women about their cooking. One of the areas we discussed was finding substitutions for Italian ingredients. They said that Italian ricotta was often available but the standard of the ricotta was so low that they used cottage cheese instead.
Regardless of which milk is used (sheep, cow, goat, buffalo), rennet obtained from the calf's stomach is used to make sweet cheese, and lamb or kid rennet is used to have a stronger cheese. To make different cheeses (parmesan and mozzarella) whey graft is also added, which guarantees the right bacterial flora and adequate acidity. Animal rennet is obtained only from cattle that feed exclusively on milk. The best vegetable rennet is used in some areas of the Alps, obtained from wild thistles cut and left in water ("latte di cardo"). Grazie ragazzi.
Maurizio Costa, thank you for explaining the different types of rennet -- it really helps! Do you know how (or even if) we can buy the vegetable rennet from the Alps you described here?
@@bsteven885 It is not a product for industrial use, those who use the thistle collect it and draw the liquid from it. Certainly on the market there are forms of non-animal artificial rennet. I know some people use strained lemon juice, but it changes the flavor of the cheese. Someone also told me about the fig leaf serum. I would google it.
@@mauriziocosta8416 Yep, I have used lemon and also white vinegar, it tastes different for sure, but is good! For Brazilians out there, you can use the "bag milk" to make it at home easily...
@@mauriziocosta8416 actually some years ago I went to visit a cheese maker in Sicily and to make ricotta he used the fig leaves “ milk”.... so you’re right that’s a possibility to obtain ricotta with a vegetable rennet
DAY TRIP !!! Last trip to Sicily we went to the goat farm and watched them make the ricotta. Reminded me of my grandma ricotta. She had 2 goats, chickens and wine vines in her yard. Her and Pa may have left Italy but, Italy never left them. Pa even brought his wine press from Caiazzo.
This was really interesting to watch! My dear mother taught all of us how to make her version of ricotta (which she learned from HER mother, and so on), but it wasn't as complex as this recipe. We also used whole (cow's) milk, and never used any rennet. It was just basically take a gallon of whole milk, bring to a boil very slowly, and as it starts to boil, it will begin rising very quickly. At that point, we take it off the heat, and pour in 3/4 cup white vinegar and a cup of cold water, then drain the lot into a colander. That yields about a pound of what I call "raw" ricotta, which I then run through a food mill for texture. To use in most of my recipes, I add 1 whole egg, some pecorino romano, salt & pepper, and parsley flakes, and mix by hand...then I stuff shells, or whatever pasta I have on hand. It's super easy, and the taste I grew up with :)
Apparently people who have tried both versions claim that the traditional way is way better then your version which was basically a quicker and easier way to make something similar to ricotta.....but supposedly the traditional version is worth the extra work.
@@LiefLayer just going by how my late mother made her version. I run the drained and chilled curds through a food mill and it comes out smooth as silk.
Bro how is that less work than the traditional way, all I have to do is bring the whey to a boil, no stirring, let it cool 5 minutes, ladel into a colander, and let drain! It's about two seconds of hand-on work plus cleaning the cheese cloth. Cleaning out a food mill every time? No thanks! Thank you for sharing though, it's really cool to learn how folks grew up learning recipes from parents. That generation is passing too quick.
Harper, you do not sound silly pronouncing ricotta the proper Italian way! Eva must be proud! My parents had a La Mancha, her name was Chocolate! They produce the most wonderful and delicious milk, and my Mom made Chevre most of the time with it, but also ricotta from the whey!!! No wonder I thought it was so fabulous. I do make homemade ricotta, but, alas, no La Mancha's available here in Texas, so I have to use whole cow's milk. After the first cheese and then the ricotta, drum roll, Eva's face said it all... definitely real Italian ricotta! Great video! I could identify with much of this, as I have experience, but was very good to have Eva show how it is properly done. I don't use baskets, just a strainer and cheesecloth, the outcome is the same. Love your videos, always great stuff! (Also, the leftover whey can be used to make baked goods, bread, biscuits, etc, it gives an amazing flavor!)
I love the emphasis on easy “in theory” bc that’s so true when trying something new that everyone else is like “no problem” xD. but my absolute favorite part of this video is when you both tried your homemade ricotta, you two looked so happy it made me grin in excitement! Def saving this recipe to try!
Had a similar thing happen when I tried to make sourdough starter. Every recipe said how “easy” it was and how you could have it done in a week, or three weeks, there was some discrepancies in that part. Well, after trying, and failing, off and on for about six months (seriously) I had to break it down as to what I was doing wrong, and it turns out, through experimentation, that the ratio they were all giving me, a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio didn’t work for me. I live in too dry a climate for that to work. I discovered that if I upped the amount of water to a 60/40 ratio (which I subsequently backed down to a 55/45 ratio) THAT finally worked for me. And so, during lockdown while everyone else it seemed was enjoying homemade sourdough, I was not. And like to consider myself a decent chef. For Eva to just walk in and make what she did here only proves what an Ace she is in the kitchen.
You can buy raw milk in California. YAY! These raw milk farms have to be super-clean compared to the producers of pasteurized goop. Pasteurization kills off all the good probiotics along with the bad.
My favorite part of this awesome video was near the 10 minute mark: "I have a lot riding on this!" and Eva's response, "Writing?!?" It is so genuinely fun to hear the language barrier that still exists--even for an English expert [albeit from Italy], like Eva! Too cute. Keep up the great content!
There was something so magical about her smile as she took that first bite of the homemade ricotta. I've never watched any of your videos before, but I just wanna say thank you for that. There's something special about seeing a perfectly genuine bit of happiness.
This video was so fun to watch...when it comes to food, everything that takes time is worth it when you get these results. The smile on both your faces and the joy in watching you enjoy it is wonderful. I'm in the mood for some good ricotta now, especially how you made it into a dessert 🤗😋
I work with someone who raises goats so I was able to get goat milk and ordered the rennet and baskets and made this recipe today. It is very good!! I’m using some of the ricotta in a lasagne and the primo sale cheese I used with home made bread from the bakery. Delicious!!!
I've just found your channel and I'm absolutely addicted! It all started when I was looking for some good eggplant recipes, and oh my, did I ever find them, in your full course meal video. You are entertaining, educational, and fresh looking, and I love you!
Oh I bet that is Yummy !!!! Homemade Ricotta tastes so different and so much better than store bought. :) Eva, you always make everything look so easy!
Not silly. It's sexy! My very ears were assaulted by the Italian American girlfriend of my brother saying things like riZott, ri Got, Mozz. The proper names are so beautiful when spoken properly. I am a dyed in the wool American, born and raised and I love my country for the melting pot it is but let's give proper respect for the proper names and pronunciation these amazing products deserve. When she said she makes "RiZott" I couldn't figure out what the heck she was talking about. When she said it was a rice dish I said, in the style of the lovely Eva, I said "oh, you mean rissoto" rolling the "r" like.a native. I love the natural way Eva speaks and the respect and love she has for her country and it's cuisine. Giada, on the other hand, ugh! Compare how Eva says spaghetti as opposed to how Giada mispronounces it, in her condescending manner, enough said. I'll be nice now😬
I raised my son on homemade cheese 40 years ago made like this cheese, dipped in salt water for a few minutes. We called it farmer's cheese. I used to serve the whey like milk and we'd drink it and use it for cooking, as well. I never knew about this. You can make ricotta and still have liquid to drink. Who knew!
Well if shes going to pick at you for not pronouncing the Italian word correctly, I bet you there's a million English words that she doesn't pronounce correctly. Pick one and tell her about it.
Looks amazing!!!! My mom makes primo sale all the time. Then she makes ricotta, and with the left over whey from the ricotta process she uses it to make the best tasting bread. Nothing goes to waste.
Yes, pets are now dying from bird flu. It is spread through raw milk. Tuberculosis is spread through raw milk as well. The way I see it, if you're willing to risk your life to drink that nasty shit, go right ahead! Why would anyone stop you? I certainly don't care. But of course if you harm a child by giving it to them, that is grounds for prosecution. If you want to drink it yourself, however, I don't care one bit.
You can tell the difference between what we get here in the US versus the homemade, just looking at it after Eva turned it out of the basket. Growing up we weren't always able to get the American made ricotta, so my Italian American mother had to settle for cottage cheese in some recipes.
I don’t understand the reason of cutting it ! You are going to mix it all up any way 🤷🏼♀️I use cotton cheese cloth to make cheese , I drink the whey because is full of potassium and magnesium and some protein 🤷🏼♀️so with putting milk in the whey is just like the first cheese you got 😮what is the difference?
18:07 mia nonna quando io e mia sorella le chiedevamo qualcosa di dolce da mangiare, prendeva della ricotta e ci metteva miele di castagno e cannella, poi mischiava un po' e via. Una cosa semplicissima e buonissima
1:25 Definitely don't use the American accent. The word is in Italian not English, you should use the correct pronunciation in the language of origin. It is the proper way.
Harper, I don't think you sound ridiculous when you pronounce ricotta the Italian way. In fact I thought your pronunciation was very good! So I'd say pronounce it the American way when you're with Americans/in America and the Italian way when you're around Italians or in Italy. 👍👌
Raw milk is outlawed for human consumption, yes, BUT ricotta is pasteurized through the process of making it. In the last step, the product is brought well above the pasteurization temperature and time. Any bacteria in that product is dead, which is of course what pasteurization means. The cheese, no matter its protein source, is absolutely safe to eat. The laws mainly stem from the very false and very dangerous belief that pasteurized milk is unhealthy and so that's what they aim to curb, so in my opinion a pretty good law with exceptions. Thankfully there is enough give and take in the law to allow for products to be made from raw milk.
You can’t win with the pronunciation sound funny to Italians saying it the anglicized way sound funny to English saying it the Italian way….Since I speak both Italian and English I find my pronunciation changes depending who I’m speaking to
Mine does too! If you're speaking English, you're quite entitled to Anglicize the pronunciation. And 'Arper pronounces it quite well in the Italian way as well (of course!) as in his native US way.
As a hobby cheese maker. I finally got ricotta to work no matter what cheese I am making. I found that if I heat it up then turn it off and let it sit I get a MUCH better turnout of the proteins! It also helps that the current cow I am milking truly puts the value in her milk. My goats are not in milk right now!
"Ricodda" is another way of saying "I don't give a flying fuck how to pronounce it, this is America and American English is the most important language on the planet anyway. " (I am sure you have found out how speaking English is of help when you're in rural, non-tourist areas of Italy...). You speak the language, there's nothing wrong with pronouncing Ricotta correctly. And if you don't: You don't have to pronounce it as the Italians do, but why be so lazy when you say it? What's up with the double-T?!?! Why would a DOUBLE-T sound less like a T than a single T? Even the D in re-cookeD ("ricotta") is harder than your double-T. Doesn't make any sense. Ri-coT-Ta. It's easy and it shows some respect to the language, the people, the country - and the delicious Ricotta you have just produced yourself. Even worse: "excetera "et cetera" (Latin), "jiro Gyros" (Greek), "Mallorca Majorca" (Spanish) and I wouldn't be surprised if people have been killed for this: "Expresso Espresso"
@EVELLYN______🔞👇 I don't get the context and why you're replying to yourself. But I too love their videos and how they educate the world on how Italians eat and enjoy their lifes.
I love this video. I've made fresh farmers cheese which is kinda like a softer version of cream cheese, but better! I'm super excited to try this with goat's milk. Goat's milk is kind of pricey in the store, but available in 1/2 gallon jugs. I'm going to check a local organic farm for raw milk. Thanks again for making the fresh Ricotta.
02:26 I was disturbed, at first, by the goats' lack of ears (I thought the breeder had clipped them), but as it turns out, their tiny ears are natural to this breed of goats.
Ricotta must be eaten with a bit of salt. My untie had sheep's, she made ricotta by heating the milk and steering it with a broken branch of the fig tree.
Thank God the state of Georgia is finally passing a law to make real, raw milk available to humans in the state. It has been available for pet consumption for many years. Yippee!! finally official🤗
We learned a lot about Eva’s culture. How about your’s Harper. Tell us about why you and your father fell in love with Italian culture so much, and what is your ethnicity….and maybe some dishes from your culture.
So genuinely happy for both of you ESPECIALLY Harper for being able to enjoy Ricotta in the US! 💖 i was waiting for you guys to make this at home just for that moment of joy you both shared on the first bite! And come on we all know you would have happily eaten it right out the plate, but always appreciate a good ol’ Mama Rosa recipie
Thank you for editing. I wish all commenters would do the same. It doesn't take very long. After you post, proof read it, if you find errors, i.e. spelling, grammar, auto correct, punctuation, etc., then punch the three little dots and punch, edit. Then you can make corrections. Maybe even add something extra you may have forgot, or thought of.
Good morning is being fan watching your channel. I am from Crete Greece and the first cheese you made we call it feta and the second cheese you made we call it mizithra or athotyro
In Sardinia we eat a fried pastry filled with fresh sheep cheese similar to mizithra, we served with honey on the top (Sebadas), Greece cuisine and Italian one are so similar.
I'm British and have lived in Italy for the last 30 years, I came across this video because last year I moved to a tiny village in the mountains and I've started making my own cheeses at home. Without a doubt, the way you say "ricotta" with your Italian accent is sublime, the way you say it with your normal voice makes me cringe. But that's just me, a hypocritical Englishman. I wish I could say ricotta the way you say ricotta.
Eva needs to start a ricotta business!! I want to buy some first!! I feel so cheated. I've been eating American ricotta my whole life which I love but I've been living a lie!!😭
In Kefallinia they did this to make mizithra after they took the first curds for feta. But they pressed that too of course. Can you get the soft fresh anthotyro commercially?
Thank you! I was actually going to request this, because you've brought it up a couple times, the Ricotta issue. I will have to try this with goat milk and animal rennet. I had a Sicilian ricotta cannoli, supposedly at the best cannoli spot in Sicily and it was so rich it made me nauseous; I couldn't eat it even after I doused it with espresso. After a dish of like walnut-sized green olives, I was able to finish it.
Mamma mia Eva, che mi hai fatto ricordare... Da ragazzo andavo dal "pecoraro" (a Roma si chiama così) a prendere la ricotta appena fatta, me la dava non nel cestello ma nelle foglie di fico... che sapore! Comunque ti faccio i miei più sinceri complimenti per far conoscere "dellà" le nostre eccellenze, bravissima!
I went on a similar journey a few months ago in an effort to make legitimate Canadian poutine, because in my research I discovered that the secret to good poutine was the squeeky cheese curds, and those can only be found in 24 hour old curds which you cannot get in the store here in America. Another thing I found is that no matter how good I think something is on the first try, it gets even better on subsequent ventures,as you work out the flaws and difficulties of the process, so you’re about to have access to the best ricotta in the American Southwest soon, I predict.
It's funny you mention this, because when we made this I thought to myself, "wait, why aren't these curds squeaking? Why do they squeak in poutine?" So it has to do with the age of the curds?
@@PastaGrammar According to everything I read and watched, yes. Apparently they only squeak for about 12-24 hours. 🤷♂️ Although the overall process for making curds is slightly different. Don’t really know what makes them squeak. I didn’t use those plastic things either, but cheese cloth, a thicker one, and I cut the curds a bit more as well, with a 45 degree angle cut as well as the cross cut one you did.
So glad you guys did this video. Thank you. I've made ricotta with the Junket rennet tablets and their recipe card -- but it doesn't yield much and no flavour. This way makes sense. I'll have to find me some goat milk!!!
In my small town in Sardinia we do not break the "cagliata" , we cut in big chunks and keep it in a bath of "siero" (what's left of the milk after cheese is made) to rest in a dark place for a couple of days, and then it's eaten like you'd a yogurt. No preservatives, so you can only freeze it or eat it in a couple of days. We also use it to cook. One thing I love with caggiau (cagliata) is Malloreddus, cooked like a risotto with sheep's meat broth and some saffron, with caggiau for the "mantecatura". It's really strong but I'm sardinian, so I love it :D
Eva - your knowledge of cooking is amazing and inspiring. Harper - go ahead and say ricotta the Italian way. Just ease off, relax, and you'll get it perfectly. The only thing working against you is your self consciousness about speaking nice Italian. Thanks to you both for the recipes, enthusiasm, love, and plain fun in your posts. Cheers
I've always wanted to make cheese, but found it to intimidating ( cows milk, seeing we had a 500 cow dairy), fortunately, I have a dear friend who is a goat farmer I'm going to make the cheese and ricotta. Thank you Eva & Harper you make it look easy. Be Blessed. 😊🇺🇲
I love a Zero waste idea behind all of these wonderful creations. Very inspiring as always. I’ve never tried any ricotta in my life. I hope someday I will be able to taste the real thing and crave to make one at home just like you two 💗👌🏻🧀
This was so exciting to watch!! Well done guys. Thank you Harper for pointing out that it’s made with the re-cooked whey (hence the name ricotta) I never thought of that before! I will have to try to make it. I once had a cake called ‘Fedora’ when I was on holiday in Sicily. I literally could’ve cried tears of joy. There’s no words to explain how good ricotta tastes when it’s the real deal. It’s heaven on a plate. Amazing episode, thanks again!!!!❤❤❤
OMG! It makes me want to try making cheese. Crazy! But the way you present it and the looks of pure delight when you eat what you make just inspires me.
I have a question: there are goats, sheeps, cows other there. How is it possible there aren't typical cheeses? I only saw imitations of european cheeses in your previous videos.
@@alemassa6632 well, this is not true, in general. They have interesting cuisine culture instead, expecially in the south. Maybe they are not focused on cheeses, that is my question.
Some small farms make cheese. But most dairy farms are huge, and they sell the milk to large conglomorates which then process, pasturize, and make lousy mass produced cheese. Its a case of big business squeezing out the little guys. Also there are "health" restrictions regarding pasturizing milk, and other red-tapes which discourage the small producers.
Another option for anyone having trouble finding rennet is a tablet called Junket. It's usually found by the jello or canning supplies at the grocery store. Typically the hardest part of cheese making is sourcing milk that hasn't been over pasteurized (this includes ultra-pasteurized but also some regular pasteurized milk falls into this category). The next hardest is making a specific kind of cheese (ricotta is possibly the easiest). You'll always end up with cheese but what kind might be in the air.
@@PastaGrammar i'm curious about their ears! Are they naturally this short? i didn't quite hear their name--and where i come from, goats have such long ears! thank you for another great video. Eva's smile and enthusiasm when her food tastes good is delicious to watch--and you can totally pronounce 'ricotta' the Italian way.
Thank you for giving us another great way of bringing Italy to us! Being that I am on immunosuppressants, I think it might be a gamble for me to try this. but I am so tempted to try making it for a cannoli!
I would think you can have the ricotta since the final cooking is at 185°F, which should kill off any harmful bacteria -- but I'm not a doctor, so take my words "with a grain of salt." Any doctors or scientists in the house?
@@bsteven885 Hi Steven and Marie. I'm not so sure. When trying to kill bacteria in water, you have to boil it for a length of time. That's 210 degrees f. I would consult with your primary physician. Be safe. I grew up drinking raw milk, as we had our own milk cow. So my brothers and sisters and I were immune to any bacteria in it.
No disrespect intended, however, If you are going to be made to feel shamed for the way you speak Italian words, then turn around is fair play and you can chastise her for her mispronunciation of American English. I think you should both just celebrate the fabulous foods/culture and get on with it.
It's the annoying bit she does. I loved the video on "cheese Americans eat".. we're always the butt of the joke. Weird. Wisconsin cheese, I live in upstate NY where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cheese farmer😂
The good bacteria takes care of the bad, unless the milk is contaminated (like if an animal steps in the bucket, or is super sick). Even just leaving the raw milk out on the counter leads to it becoming curds and whey, and doesn’t spoil… it only sours and splits. The reason they came up with Pasteurization in the US was because contaminated milk was being sold and that can sicken people. So, instead of making the conditions cleaner (not difficult), they decided to cook the heck out of the milk to kill ALL the bacteria, good and bad, which is a crying shame because the good bacteria is fantastic for human health and gut biome. Plus, then people are ingesting a bunch of cooked, dirty milk. Anyway, modern practices could lead to milk being just fine sold raw, but it doesn’t have the same shelf life, and dairy farmers are conglomerates now, and they need to make sure the milk doesn’t spoil (even more) before it’s sold. These changes to farming came from, mostly, the feds getting involved with milk business. So you can imagine how eager they are to reverse the situation. Then, they discovered that if the milk is super heated for a short time (186° for 6 seconds), instead of regular pasteurization (which holds it at 140° F for 30 minutes), it increased the shelf life for even longer. Then they beat the crap out of the milk to break down the fat molecules to homogenize it, which is rough for human digestion, but people now expect. Can’t have the need to shake up some milk before pouring! The horror! Of course, that also keeps people from buying whole milk and getting the cream for themselves, which is sad. But it makes the feds happy because the exact amount of cream in milk is on the label. They actually skim ALL the milk completely, then add back in however much they want… 2%, whole (3.5% or something like that), half and half (half skim, half cream). Basically, it’s a big old mess! But the fresh (raw) milk never actually spoils, like cooked milk does. The good bacteria kill off the bad bacteria and eat the milk sugar. Once it splits into curds and whey, one can make fresh cheese like that too! It can take a few days, and it gets pretty sour, but it’s so freaking cool that raw milk does that! It’s no wonder they used to call it white blood… it acts a lot like it, when it’s unadulterated.
We had a milk goat for awhile and I always did a low pasteurization, but my memory is fuzzy, even though it was three years ago. So I don’t remember the temp. We have friends who only drank raw milk from their own goats and they were careful about cleanliness. They got extremely sick one too many times and started pasteurizing.
@@FleaChristenson That’s so wild (and sad!) they got sick like that… Of all the people I’ve known who have milked their own, I’ve never heard of any being fastidious with milking and then getting sick from it. I hope their more current solution solved their issues, as that had to be no fun. Poor things.
I am a Grammarian, devout…. And I’ve watched you guys a lot but I HAVE to tell you both I was watching this amazing video and although the love between you two is palpable always, the looks you shoot eachother in this video was nothing short of emotionally CHARGED! You two are soulmates and I’m so happy you found eachother in this world. So beautiful! I’ve learned so much from you guys and enjoy your videos so so much. Being a Sicilian American that has never been to my homeland, of which calls out to my soul every single moment, it’s is So valuable on a soul level to watch you guys and to learn traditional foods and to share those with my own family… it’s priceless. You are surely unaware of the way you’ve connected me and so many others to the heritage our hearts yearns for. I’m 40 and my 15 year old lets me know when ur videos drop and we watch them together… a 15 year old American teenage girl with boys all around would much rather watch PG and practice a new Italian recipe than anything else… now, that’s impressive!! #1 favorite recipe I’ve learned from you is Scarpariello and it is requested CONSTANTLY from not only my daughter but my parents and friends too!!!!!! So saying all that, I say thank you. Thank you for following your dreams and spirits into your passions and in turn having a profound and positive effect on others every day life….whether you are aware of your impact or not…. THANK YOU! I know I’m not alone in this… Pasta Grammarians …. What was your favorite PG life lesson?
One day, a visit to your Soul’s calling Home would be advisable…perhaps complete with lovely daughter - it’s not all that expensive from the States - especially at a discount price 😉😉. Or used to be many moons ago. Far cheaper than from my homeland to Europe. (NZ)
Hi Guys, I’ve been making ricotta for years and it always comes out great, you can’t compare store bought to home made. I am surprised that you didn’t add either vinegar or lemon juice to the whey. The acid is what actually helps produce the ricotta. Do you guys miss Maine? I love Maine but the winters are too cold for my aging bones. 😁😁
The history of raw milk, and the war on it, is fascinating! I switched my family to raw milk when I started having babies. I have 7 kids from the age of 7 to 21, and I have the healthiest kids compared to all of our aqaintances and friends.
The great thing about this video is that it shows a recipie one can actually DO at home for something like homemade ricotta. Provided you can source raw goat milk.
