L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano R icotta is so ver- s a t i l e a n d s o good. A simple dash of lemon j u i c e a n d a spoonful of sugar, and we h a v e a l i g h t , r e f r e s h i n g dessert. Some honey and cin- namon and we already feel closer to the Middle East, while chocolate chips and chopped pistachios lead us s t r a i g h t t o S i c i l y . F a n c y something savory? Try it with pasta, for a creamy and sim- ple dinner, or use it to enrich cannelloni and ravioli. Forget about cooking robots: ricotta is the real culinary multi- tasker. At the same time, I think most of us know very little about this delightful cheese: for instance, it's not a type of cheese at all, because it does- n't come from whole milk, but from milk whey which is w h a t ' s l e f t a f t e r w e m a k e cheese. Whey is heated up (ri-cotta, or "cooked twice") so it turns into soft milky flakes that are then gathered into fuscelle, traditional ricot- ta molds. Inside them, the cooked whey is allowed to r e s t , d r a i n o f f t h e e x c e s s water, and turn into the fresh, delicate latticino we all love. So far so good, because there is nothing new in what y o u ' v e j u s t r e a d . B u t n o t many know that, besides the classical fresh cow or sheep ricottas we usually find at the supermarket, there are many other varieties that change in texture, aging, and type of milk used. From North to South, fresh and mature ricottas are a traditional product of the territory and an ingredient to discover and appreciate, also in name of its connection to local heritage and farming history. Fresh ricottas are those we are more used to. We con- sider "fresh" all ricotta types t h a t a r e a l l o w e d t o l o s e excess water and sold quickly once they reach the right con- sistency we all love. They are usually divided into two big categories: cow ricottas and sheep ricottas, even though we can also find specialty ones made with buffalo milk (Campania) and goat milk GIULIA FRANCESCHINI as seirass. Protected by a PAT denomination, which guarantees it is a traditional agro-food product, it comes in two versions, one made with sheep milk's whey, and another with cow's full milk: this latter version is known a s s e i r a s s d i l a t t e o r milk seirass. Seirass rests in large pieces of fabric, through which the water can drain: you'll recognize it at the deli because it's shaped like a bread bun. Milk seirass, on the other hand, is shaped like a cone, because of the type of linen pouches it rests into. In R o m e a n d L a z i o , w e have ricotta Romana DOP (denomination of protected origin), made with whey from t h e m i l k o f S a r d a a n d Comisana sheep, to which some full milk is added. It is quite flavorsome and "dry," which makes it perfect to make fillings. You can recog- nize it easily because it has the shape of a cone without the top. In Campania, of course, ricotta comes from buffalos: this delicacy is typi- cal of all the areas where buf- falo mozzarella is produced: Benevento, Caserta, Napoli, S a l e r n o b u t a l s o p a r t s o f other regions, like the Frosi- none province of Lazio or Foggia, in Apulia. It is char- acterized by its luscious tex- ture and, for this reason, it is o f t e n u s e d t o m a k e pastiera and other desserts. R i c o t t a c a n a l s o b e e n j o y e d w h e n i t ' s more mature, and it can also be baked and smoked. Since the times of the ancient Romans, we've been using tricks to make ricotta last longer. Three have survived: using salt as a preservative - along with a shorter or longer maturing time; oven baking and/or smoking. The aim is always the same: reducing ricotta's humidity so that it can last longer. Starting again from the N o r t h W e s t , w e h a v e t h e s e i r a s s d e l f e n , o r hay seirass, produced start- i n g f r o m s h e e p , g o a t , o r cow seirass, with the addition of milk. Ricotta wheels are l e f t u n d e r h a y f o r a t i m e between 10 to 25 days, which doesn't only allow the ricotta to lose moisture, but also to gain in flavor and aroma. A t r u l y g o u r m e t v a r i e t y o f aged seirass is made by cov- ering it in Alpine aromatic h e r b s , t h e n l e t t i n g i t a g e between 50 and 60 days as a minimum. B u t m a t u r e d r i c o t t a i s mostly associated with our South, and with Sicily in p a r t i c u l a r , w h e r e grated ricotta salata is a key ingredient of iconic dish- e s l i k e p a s t a a l l a N o r m a . K n o w n a l s o a s r i c o t t a secca or stagionata, it is pre- served through the use of salt when it's made, and two to three times during the matur- ing period, which is usually b e t w e e n 1 0 a n d 3 0 d a y s . Varieties of ricotta salata are made also in Sardinia, Salen- to (Apulia), and Campania. Baked ricotta, or ricotta i n f o r n a t a , h o l d s a P A T denomination like Piedmon- tese seirass and it's produced in Sicily. It rests for seven days and then it is baked in a stone oven. The most popular is the Messinese, produced in t h e p r o v i n c e o f M e s s i n a . Baked ricotta can be used to cook or eaten in cubes and slices. Last but not least, we have s m o k e d r i c o t t a , r i c o t t a affumicata. It is commonly made in many parts of Italy, from the North East (Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige, and Friuli) to Lazio and Calabria. It is smoked using charcoal made with aromatic woods, which gives the outer part of the wheel a stronger, more fragrant flavor while leaving the center softer and more delicate. One of the most famous is the one produced i n S a u r i s , i n t h e C a r n i a region of Friuli Venezia-Giu- lia. LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES There is more to ricotta than we think! (Sardinia). Fresh ricottas can vary also for the presence or absence of salt, as well as other ingredients, such as milk or cream, which make them even creamier. This is the standard pedigree of all fresh ricottas, never mind if they are artisanal or industri- ally made. Careful though, because homemade ricotta has a shorter shelf life (2 or 3 d a y s a f t e r m a k i n g ) t h a n industrial ricotta, which can last up to three weeks. On the westernmost cor- n e r o f t h e p e n i n s u l a , in Piemonte, we'll find a tasty sheep ricotta known Fresh ricotta is made everywhere in Italy (Photo Anna Fedorova/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED

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