Mozzarella Make

on it's own, seasoned and drizzled with olive oil

Making mozzarella cheese at home is quick and easy and provides huge pay off for minimal effort.


Homemade Mozzarella Recipe

Equipment: large stockpot, slotted or strainer spoon, sieve or colander, butter cheesecloth, large knife, thermometer, large bowl, small bowl, quart container for storing


Ingredients:

• 1 gallon organic milk (I've used whole milk many times and (an accidentally bought) 2 percent once, both turn out really well)
• 1 tsp. citric acid (found in canning departments of grocery stores, specialty food shops and health food stores)
• 1/2 tablet rennet (purchase in cheese making supply shops or online, can sometimes be found in health food stores)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. sea salt, plus one additional tsp. salt for brine to store.

Directions:

• Pour milk into stock pot and add the citric acid. Stir well.
• Dissolve rennet in small bowl with 1/4 cup water, stir and set aside.
• Heat milk on medium while taking temperature regularly until it reaches 88 degrees.
• Add the rennet solution, stir well and bring temperature up to 105 degrees.
• Remove from heat and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
• A large curd will have formed. Take a long knife and cut it in one inch strips vertically, then horizontally (or horizontally to vertically, even!), forming square curds.
• Line colander or sieve with cheesecloth over large bowl. Remove curds from whey using slotted or strainer spoon and allow whey to drip off. Empty dripped off whey from bowl (saving it if you like) and transfer curds directly into bowl. Press it down with your spoon to assist it in giving up it's whey. When cool enough, you can give it some light squeezes with your hands. Form into a large ball.
• Heat the whey remaining in the pot to 125 degrees.
• Dip the large curd back into the pot using your strainer/slotted spoon for a few moments, pull it out, place in bowl and press and squeeze again. The warmth from the whey should help it release it's remaining whey and make it more pliable.
• Add your salt to it and begin kneading, stretching and pulling (just like taffy). If it isn't pliable enough to stretch, dip it back in the hot whey for a few more moments -I have no photos of the stretching process because I only have two hands, but this part is really fun.
• You should achieve a smooth and shiny ball in the end. Separate into smaller balls.
• Pack in a quart container in a brine solution, covering balls with water and adding 1 tsp. salt.
• Stays good in the fridge 3 days, but the sooner eaten the yummier. Can also be frozen.

check temp regularly until reaching the desired 88 degrees.

curds and whey continuing to separate

storing mozzarella in brine solution

Thrown in a salad with tomatoes and basil, served with some fresh fruit, on a sandwich, on a pizza, or on it's own with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil... mozzarella has many uses. We made a veggie lasagne last week using homemade mozzarella, homemade ricotta, homemade sauce, homemade lasagne noodles and served it up with some homemade sourdough bread. It was one of the best meals I've ever had.

XO, Debbie

Cheese making 101

This wasn't our first experiment in cheese making but it was our first really successful one. This seems to be the general recipe for making ricotta, and I think the key was making sure the temperature hit but didn't exceed the desired 190 degrees.

Homemade Ricotta!

Equipment: 

medium mixing bowl and sieve (or cheese cloth and large rubber band which will fit around bowl top), large stock pot, candy or deep frying thermometer, wooden spoon and slotted spoon/strainer spoon

Ingredients:

• 10 cups whole milk (go organic. you're going to make cheese. it might as well be organic cheese, yes?)
• 1-1/2 tsp citric acid (can be purchased in some grocery stores and specialty stores. sometimes known as sour salt.)
• 1 cup water
• 1-1/2 tsp. cheese making salt or kosher salt
• 2 tsp. half and half or heavy cream

 How to:

• Heat milk on medium in stock pot until it reaches 190 degrees. Be sure thermometer isn't touching bottom of pot.
• Meanwhile, dissolve citric acid in 1cup water in bowl, stirring slightly.
• Add dissolved citric acid mixture to milk and bring heat back up to 190 degrees.
• Remove milk from heat and leave still for 10-12 minutes. Curds and whey should be nicely separated.
• If using cheesecloth, stretch piece of cloth tight over top of bowl and rubber band it to keep it snug. Using slotted or straining spoon, scoop curds from liquid and place in sieve over bowl or onto cheesecloth covered bowl. Continue scooping curds this way until only whey remains in pot. Do not squeeze liquid out of curds, you want a moist ricotta.
• After straining, move curds to a bowl and add in salt and half and half or cream.

 

                                          pouring the milk into the pot

                                             separating the curds and whey

                                          adding the cream and salt

eccellente! 

XO, Debbie