Cacioricotta cheese… what a delicacy! As you all know, it’s a traditional product of the Southern regions of Italy. It’s perfect for appetizers, for the classic sprinkle on orecchiette pasta with sauce, in short… homemade cacioricotta cheese is a delight. As usual, let’s not waste time and see how to make it.
INGREDIENTS
NECESSARY TOOLS
DIGITAL FOOD THERMOMETER, BASKETS OR MOLDS.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Pour the whole milk (preferably unpasteurized) into a large pot. Place it over medium-high heat and bring the milk to a temperature of 90°C (194°F).
2) Turn off the heat, add the salt, and stir well. Then, reduce the temperature of the milk to 40°C (104°F) by placing the pot in the sink filled with cold water.
3) Once the milk reaches 38 – 40°C (100 – 104°F), remove the pot from the sink and pour in the yogurt. Mix thoroughly.
4) Pour in the rennet and whisk vigorously for 1 or 2 minutes. This step is crucial for making homemade cacioricotta cheese.
5) Cover the pot with a lid and let it sit for one hour.
6) After one hour, use a whisk to break up the curds until they are roughly the size of a grain of rice. Cover again and wait for about fifteen minutes for the curds to settle to the bottom and the whey to rise to the top.
7) Using a colander, transfer the curds to the basket, pressing down firmly to allow excess whey to drain.
8) Let the basket rest at room temperature for about 8 hours. Remember to place the basket inside a bowl to prevent the whey from making a mess in your kitchen.
9) After approximately 8 hours, place the basket(s) in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, lightly coat your homemade cacioricotta with olive oil.
10) As mentioned earlier, remove the cheese from the basket, oil it, and place it on a wooden cutting board. Refrigerate for 5/6 days before serving.
IMPORTANT
EVERY DAY WE NEED TO FLIP THE CHEESE UPSIDE DOWN.
Our homemade cacioricotta cheese is ready. Of course, if you want it more aged, you’ll need to wait many more days. In this case, I recommend checking that it doesn’t dry out too much or crack. To prevent this, you can lightly oil it again as in step 10.
If anything is unclear, you can take a look at the video.
