Ricotta is a cheese that is a traditional dish among Italians. Culinary experts have an unspoken rule that you can’t throw anything away. This cheese is a classic example. During the preparation of cheese, whey remains and it is from it that Ricotta is made. This word means "cooked again." By its structure, this mass is not cheese familiar to us, but all over the world this is what it is called.

Ricotta - what kind of cheese is it?

This cheese is prepared from whey, which remains after the preparation of other types of cheeses. Also made from milk:

  • cows
  • sheeps;
  • buffalo;
  • goats.

This mass is sweet in taste due to lactose. It has a delicate and unusual taste.

What and how to eat ricotta

 

What ingredients are best combined with ricotta, where and how to add, not everyone knows. This is a very practical product that fits perfectly in many dishes from salads to cakes.

  1. To make the sauce soft and velvety, you need to add a couple of tablespoons of ricotta at the end of cooking.
  2. Thanks to the perfect combination of cheese and eggs, ricotta gives a unique flavor to an omelet or scrambled eggs.
  3. It will give a pleasant taste to the casserole, both sweet and meat.
  4. Add delicate climbing texture.
  5. Good for making sandwiches. Easy to spread on bread. You can add greens, fish or avocados from above and a delicious quick snack is ready.
  6. At the festive table, you can quickly decorate a cake or cupcakes by preparing a light, airy ricotta cream.
  7. When making dough for a pie or cake, add a couple of tablespoons of cheese. From this, the treat will become more airy and magnificent.
  8. It is tasty to use for filling in pancakes and ravioli.

You can combine this miracle cheese with any products: with fruits, herbs, pasta, vegetables, pastries. It is not recommended to add to dishes that contain fish or meat.

It has no contraindications, except for rare diseases of lactose intolerance. It is not recommended to consume more than 250 grams per day.

Calorie Cheese

This is a dietary product that contains a large amount of calcium and protein. Due to the low calorie content of only 174 kcal per 100 grams, it is suitable for people who adhere to a healthy diet.

Ricotta Cheese Recipes

This cheese is well suited for cooking. Due to its natural sweet taste, the sugar norm, which is required by prescription, is reduced.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Ricotta

 

Having tasted the pasta according to this recipe, you will definitely make it your signature dish.

To make the dish delicious, the main thing is to choose the right tomatoes. They should be juicy and strong, without damage.

Ingredients:

  • ricotta cheese - 400 g;
  • tomatoes - 900 g;
  • olive oil - 40 ml;
  • onion - 4 pcs.;
  • hot pepper - 2 pods;
  • salt - 0.5 tsp;
  • garlic - 4 cloves;
  • ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon.

Cooking:

  1. Dice the onion into medium-sized cubes.
  2. Cut the norm of garlic into strips. The other is to grate.
  3. Peel the tomatoes and chop into large pieces.
  4. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic into strips, chili pepper and onion. Fry until onion is clear. If you do not like spicy food, then the pepper can be removed as soon as the onion is ready.
  5. Add the tomatoes without closing the lid to simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Put the remaining garlic and cheese into the mixture. Spice up. To salt. Stew for three minutes.

Ricotta Cheese Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

  • ricotta cheese - 400 g;
  • chicken fillet - 5 pcs.;
  • green salad - 50 g;
  • water - 5 tbsp. spoons;
  • wine white vinegar - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
  • apple - 5 pcs.;
  • honey - 2 tsp;
  • olive oil - 10 tbsp. spoons;
  • granular mustard - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • ground black pepper
  • salt.

Cooking:

  1. Wash apples, cut into quarters. Remove seeds and core. Cut into slices.
  2. Prepare a dressing. To do this, mix salt, water, honey, oil, mustard, vinegar and pepper.
  3. Boil the chicken. Cut into thin slices.
  4. Mash Ricotta with a fork to make small pieces.
  5. Leaves green lettuce break hands into pieces. Transfer to a bowl.
  6. Add apples.
  7. Put cheese on the next layer.
  8. Pour dressing.

Cheesecakes with ricotta

For fans of ricotta and cheesecakes, this recipe is suitable. Replacing the cottage cheese with cheese, you will get a dish of delicate texture and amazing taste. They are prepared simply and quickly.

Ingredients:

  • ricotta cheese - 500 g;
  • flour - 140 g;
  • sugar - 75 g;
  • vanilla sugar - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
  • egg - 2 pcs.;
  • salt.

Cooking:

  1. Beat eggs with salt and sugar.
  2. In a bowl, mix the cheese, flour and egg mixture.
  3. Knead the dough. If it sticks to your hands, add more flour. Leave in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  4. Roll up the sausage.
  5. Cut into 18 equal parts.
  6. Roll the sliced ​​round in flour.
  7. Fry in hot oil. It is tastier to use the olive component.
  8. Cheesecakes should turn golden.
  9. Lay on a paper towel. It absorbs residual fat. After a couple of minutes, put on a plate.

Cake with ricotta cream

 

A delicious biscuit cake with a gentle, airy ricotta cream will decorate your holiday and surprise guests with an exquisite taste.

Ingredients:

  • ricotta cheese - 1 kg;
  • flour - 150 g;
  • milk cream - 1 liter;
  • almond flakes - 100 g;
  • canned tangerines - 800 g;
  • sugar for cream - 300 g;
  • egg - 8 pcs.;
  • sugar for dough - 150 g;
  • canned pineapples - 500 g.

Cooking:

  1. Beat eggs with sugar for dough.
  2. Add flour. Beat with a mixer.
  3. Bake a biscuit.
  4. Cut into five cakes.
  5. Drain the tangerine juice into a separate container.
  6. Pineapples cut into pieces.
  7. Pour sugar into a separate bowl and pour cream. Beat.
  8. Turn on the mixer at low speed and gradually add ricotta cheese with a spoon. A homogeneous mass should be obtained.
  9. Pour each tangerine juice from tangerines.
  10. Coat the cake with cream, put pineapples. Spread tangerines on the next coated cake. In this order to collect the cake, using all five cakes.
  11. Cover the finished cake with cream on all sides.
  12. Cover the side of the cake with almond flakes. Decorate the top of the cake with tangerines.
  13. Be sure to let it soak for four hours, but it is better to leave it in the refrigerator for the night.

Lemon Honey Cheesecake

Cottage cheese gives the dish sourness, replacing it with sweet ricotta, you get a rich, pleasant, delicate taste of goodies.

Ingredients:

  • ricotta cheese - 680 g;
  • mascarpone cheese - 450 g;
  • egg - 8 pcs.;
  • sugar - 280 g;
  • butter - 180 g;
  • orange peel - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • biscuit cookies - 450 g;
  • honey - 150 g.

Cooking:

  1. Before cooking, you must prepare a split mold. Wrap it in foil in two layers on the sides. The form is best used with a diameter of 28 cm.
  2. Beat cookies in the combine.
  3. Melt the butter in a water bath or microwave.
  4. Pour over to the liver and beat.
  5. Evenly distribute the mass along the bottom of the mold. There should not be cookies on the edges.
  6. Ricotta whip.
  7. Add cream mascarpone cheese with sugar. Beat.
  8. Pour the zest and add honey. Mix.
  9. Drive eggs. Stir all the ingredients.
  10. Put the filling in the form.
  11. Take a mold with a diameter of 30 cm, pour hot water and put in it a prepared container with a pie. The fluid should half cover the edges of the split mold.
  12. Bake in the oven for one hour.
  13. When the cheesecake is cooked, the filling will be golden brown.
  14. Leave to cool for an hour. Then put in the refrigerator for 10 hours. The filling will harden and the treat will take the desired shape, which will be easy to cut.

Neapolitan Pastier Pie

 

Every year, Naples residents prepare this delicious treat for the Easter holiday.

Ingredients:

  • flour - 600 g;
  • egg - 6 pcs.;
  • ricotta cheese - 1000 g;
  • baking powder - 2 tsp;
  • sugar - 250 g;
  • salt - 2 tsp;
  • candied lemon - 4 tbsp. spoons;
  • butter - 350 g;
  • orange peel - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon.

Cream:

  • corn starch - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • egg yolk - 8 pcs.;
  • milk - 500 ml;
  • vanilla sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking:

  1. Add baking powder and salt to the sifted flour.
  2. Chilled butter 240 g cut into pieces. Transfer to flour and cover with sugar 80 g.
  3. Rub with your hands to the state of bread crumbs.
  4. Add 4 eggs. Stir.
  5. Knead the dough for a long time, at least 10 minutes.
  6. Cut the dough in half. Wrap in a bag. Leave in the cold for an hour.
  7. Beat 4 egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Pour 6 tbsp. tablespoons of flour and starch. Beat.
  8. Boil milk.
  9. Constantly stirring the egg mixture, pour in the milk. Put on fire, boil and constantly stirring to boil for one minute.
  10. Remove from heat, add the butter left and vanilla sugar. Cool.
  11. Beat the ricotta with the remaining sugar. Without turning off the mixer, pour in the cooled cream and 4 yolks.
  12. Roll the first half of the dough into a circle so that the diameter is seven centimeters larger than the diameter of the mold. Transfer to a baking dish. The dough should cover all the bottom and edges. Refrigerate for half an hour.
  13. Transfer cream, evenly distributed over the entire surface of the dough.
  14. Roll out the remaining dough. Cut into 10 strips.
  15. Put strips on the dough with a wire rack, pinching the edges. Beat the yolk and grease the top of the pie.
  16. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees. hour. Remove, cover with foil. Bake for another half hour.
  17. Wait for complete cooling, then leave in a cool place for two hours.

What can replace ricotta in recipes?

If you decide to cook a dish that includes ricotta, but did not find this cheese on sale, you can safely replace it with other products, such as:

  1. Cottage cheese. It is not as plastic as ricotta, low-calorie, contains less fat. Squeeze it before adding to the dish to get rid of excess moisture.
  2. Fromeage Blanc. This is a more expensive type of cheese, which in consistency resembles yogurt.
  3. Sour cream. It will ideally replace ricotta when you need to make the sauce.
  4. Tofu cheese. To make it look like a ricotta, you need to squeeze it and beat it.
  5. Buttermilk Cheese. Ideal substitute for cheesecake and pasta fillings.
  6. Goat cheese. Only freshly prepared is suitable, old cheese can not replace ricotta because of the sharp taste.
  7. Potted cheese. It resembles cottage cheese, the same loose and soft.
  8. Mascarpone. Also applies to the Italian variety, has a more dense texture. Therefore, before applying it must be whipped.
  9. Cream cheese. It differs from ricotta only in fat content. This is the best replacement option.
  10. Panir. Cheese native to India is a vegetarian product.

Therefore, if there is a problem with the purchase of ricotta cheese, it can easily be replaced with one of these products.