Ricotta

Generic name for a cheese produced throughout Italy from milk whey that is cooked again (ricotta in Italian means cooked again) after being separated from the curds. The most famous and appreciated ricotta is from Rome. It is smooth, milky, and soft, and is wonderful when stuffed into cannelloni. Originally it was made of sheep’s milk, but now it is often produced from the combined milk of sheep and cows. There are also ricottas from goat and water buffalo milk. Cooks in North America often substitute cottage cheese for ricotta. I do not recommend this practice; try instead to locate ricotta. There are commercially made ricottas available that are adequate for cooking even if they do not approach the special taste of ricotta romana. If you live in an area where fresh ricotta is made, try some. It averages 110 calories an ounce.