Ricotta forte is a traditional Apulian cheese, typically made at home under the kitchen sink or in a dark cantina (cellar), although can be found in supermarkets in Italy. Found in both Puglia and Basilicata, it might also be called Ricotta scanta, 'scante, scanta, ascuante, or "ashquant" in local dialects.  Initially, it is made in the same way as ricotta, but using a strong flavored milk such as goat or sheep. The texture is similar to cream cheese, usually with an off-white color. It's definitely a cheese that spreads easily. The aroma coming from this cheese is not for the faint-at-heart, as we can attest to when confronted with ricotta forte one morning at a trullo bed & breakfast near Alberobello.

One sniff snapped our heads back, but we spread it on our toast anyway, our host drizzling some honey on top, then we tasted...  To be honest, it reminded me of when I was a kid and out bread developed mold, but that was bland compared to this stuff. The flavor is sharp as a Neapolitan criminal's stiletto, pungent, sour, bitter, with an intensity that burns your nostrils. This cheese is a total assault on your palette. Our eyes snapped open and then teared up. I got some on a sweet pastry sitting on my plate and later on when I bit into it, the whole sweet taste was ruined. It took literally an hour or two for our taste buds to relax back to normal. 

Many Pugliese still make this cheese today, a remnant from the days when shepherds came up with this devilish bastardization of the ricotta we all know and love. They placed the freshly made ricotta into small ceramic or glass jars, sprinkled with sea salt, then placed it under their sink or other dark place. A few times each week the lid is removed and stirred in a process that lasts for 3 months. As it matures it grows a fungus which gives this a flavor with more kick than any blue cheese you've ever tasted.

It's a regional specialty that locals enjoy spreading on warm crostini, either plain or drizzled with honey or balsamic. In my opinion, it contrasts too much with sweet things like figs or grapes, but tomatoes and other savory items like anchovies are a better match.

Watch the following video to learn how Ricotta Forte is made. It's in Italian with Italian text, but if you remember the words giorno (day) and mesi (months) you'll figure out how to make it and the time period intervals involved.

In case you'd like to try it yourself, here is one place you can buy a jar.

Enjoy!

--Jerry Finzi

Most Italian-Americans have heard of basket cheese, that light, soft, fresh cheese (similar to ricotta) sold in Italian specialty stores every Easter which is used to make the traditional pizzagaina or pastiera di grano (wheat grain pie) recipes. In the U.S. it is rarely seen year-round and is mostly used as an ingredient. In Italy, basket cheese is is called formaggio fresca (fresh cheese) and is readily available all year long for use as both recipe ingredient and as a table cheese, just as ricotta is eaten, but with a less salty and milder flavor. 

Basket Cheese Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk (or, if you can find some, use goat's milk)
1/4 teaspoon rennet
1/4 teaspoon salt (basket cheese is less salty than ricotta)

You will need:

• Cake Decorator's spatula
• Rennet
• Large Whisk
• Cheese basket

Directions

1. Pour the milk into a large pot on medium heat, stir constantly to bring it 95 F, then turn off the heat.
2. Add the rennet and mix well, turning only in one direction for 30 seconds, then use a large spatula as a brake, placing it vertically into one side of the milk to stop its movement.
3. Let stand for 30 minutes without any movement. The milk will start to solidify due to the curdling effect of the rennet.
4. With a long chef's knife or large metal cake decorating spatula (long enough to reach the bottom of the pot), gently cut the curd in a vertical grid pattern 2" apart. Then slice at a low angle to cut the vertical columns of curd into rough cubes.
5. Allow to rest for 30 minutes, then using a large whisk, gently break the curd, into small bean-sized pieces. Let rest for 1 hour.
6. After resting, the cheese curds will have separated from the whey. Separate the cheese from the whey, press it lightly with your hands so that the bulk of the liquid comes out and put the cheese in a plastic cheese basket (in Italian, fuscelle).  If you would like to make ricotta after this recipe, save the whey in the pot!
7. Place the basket onto a shallow plate, then cover the basket with a weight (small pot, soup can, etc.) allowing to dry for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

You can now use your basket cheese fresh as an ingredient in recipes, such as the traditional Easter pizzagaina. If you want to eat it fresh (the same day is best) you can turn the baskets upside down onto a serving plate and remove the basket. This is a mild cheese, but if you like you can sprinkle with a little sea salt or fresh ground pepper. You can also spread it on bread or crostata and drizzle with honey or balsamic and serve with with figs or fresh berries. Although it should be eaten the day it's made, you can keep it for several days by keeping the basket in a plastic container along with with an inch of milk.

Making Ricotta from the Leftover, Fresh Whey

Although my wife Lisa's ricotta recipe is great, technically, it's not a true ricotta made from whey. Making true ricotta (re-cooked, or cooked twice) is incredibly simple once you have whey leftover from cheese-making using rennet. The whey has to be fresh from the cheese-making process above.

1. Bring your pot of whey nearly to a boil (it needs to be around 195F). The ricotta will begin to surface.
2. Using a slotted spoon, collect the ricotta and place it into a cheese basket (or a cheesecloth). Don't press it if you want it to be fluffy and light. Drain over a grid for 3 hours, then refrigerate.  If you want it a bit firmer and drier, refrigerate overnight with a weight on top.
   

Making Ricotta Salata

Ricotta salata is basically a firm, saltier version of ricotta cheese that is very  similar to feta. While feta is made with rennet, ricotta salata is made from the whey leftover from cheese-making, just as normal ricotta is made. Ricotta salata needs more salt than normal ricotta and is pressed it to release any extra moisture. You need a fine mesh cheesecloth or butter muslin. 

1. Make the ricotta as above from your whey, but add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the whey before heating.
2. Once you gather your ricotta, lightly salt again with another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
3. Line your cheese basket with the cheese cloth/muslin, add your ricotta into the mold, then fold over the top neatly.
4. Place a heavy, flat weight on top of the ricotta to press out the moisture. A soup can will work well. Make sure the bottom is elevated to drain.
   
5. Press overnight in the refrigerator, halfway through, flipping it over.
6. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and place on a counter to continue draining/drying in a cool, dry place, then press this time with a heavier weight for at least 5-8 hours, flipping it over every couple of hours. You want to dry out the ricotta until it is firm.
   
7. Lightly salt all sides of the cheese, then place the cheese round onto an upturned cheese basket (the bottom needs to breathe). Place your cheese and upturned basket into a larger storage container and refrigerate. If any more whey collects at the bottom, drain and dry each day.
   
8. For the next 5 days, continue lightly salting on all sides and flipping every other day.
9. When very firm, pat your finished ricotta salata dry and wrap in parchment paper or cheese paper and store in your refrigerator.

Ricotta salata is beautifully paired with sliced apples, pears, fresh figs or crumbled on pizza, pasta or salads. 

Buon apetitto!

--Jerry Finzi

This year we decided to make our Pizzagaina recipe once again. We loaded up my Kindle with our recipe on GrandVoyageItaly.com and got started getting the ingredients together.  As usual, my son Lucas helped with the mise en place. He is a great sous chef but nowadays is also cooking a lot of his own dishes.

With the coronavirus limitations of shopping, and certain things in our fridge missing, we decided to use up some smoked gruyere in place of the mozzarella but still used ricotta and fontina (I love its creaminess). That's the way of the Italian cucina--not letting anything go to waste. Otherwise, our recipe was the same. And each time I make this treat, I'm amazed that I got the ingredients perfectly proportioned--a difficult thing to do when writing up a recipe for other people to duplicate. This crust is just wonderful to work with and fits the spring pan perfectly, with even a little left over after making the lattice strips.

In the end, we made the pizzagaina a couple of days after Easter since we had a huge ham that we baked for Easter dinner, along with roasted potatoes, carrots and onions and garlic, along with home made apple and cranberry sauce. There was plenty of leftover ham for soup, sandwiches and the pizzagaina.

Try this recipe if you get a chance. If you prefer a more solid filling, add two more eggs when making the filling.

Buon apettito!

--Jerry Finzi

To illustrate how much Italians love this special dish, certain pasticcerie have created a legal version: a dessert called Polenta e Osei, made to look just like the real dish. It's made of a soft light sponge cake filled with hazelnut cream that is rolled in a yellow fondant. On top are little chocolate birds made from chocolate marzipan. You can find this in the town of Bergamo.
As for the real song bird dish, the macho thing is to pick up the birdie by the beak and leave nothing... devouring bones, beak and all. At least they are not as ruthless as a similar dish I saw in France years ago--where they drown the birds in the local brandy, then when eating drape a napkin over their heads and the dish to inhale the fragrances and crunch down on the bird, apparently head hidden in shame. 

Mascarpone: Pronunciation,  mas-car-POH-nay 

A key ingredient in tiramisu and zabaglione, mascarpone is velvety soft, slightly acidic, and expensive.  Mascarpone is milky-white in color and is easy to spread. It is used in various Lombardy dishes, and is considered a specialty in the region. Mascarpone originated in the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, southwest of Milan, probably in the late 16th or early 17th century.

The name more than likely is derived from mascarpa, an unrelated milk product made from the whey of stracchino (a young, barely aged cheese), or from mascarpia, a word in the local dialect for ricotta. Others claims the name comes from the Spanish mas que bueno, "better than good." Ricotta, unlike mascarpone, is also made from whey.

Usually sold fresh in tubs, It is one of the main ingredients in the modern Italian dessert known as tiramisu, and is sometimes used instead of butter or Parmesan cheese to thicken and enrich risotto. Mascarpone is also used to produce Italian cheesecakes. It's a highly perishable cheese meant to be consumed as soon as possible after it is made.

How to Use Mascarpone

1. Mix with or as a topping for fruits or berries.
2. Whipped Cream Substitute, use with a drizzle of honey over ice cream or pie.
3. Spread on toast with a sprinkle or sea salt or cinnamon/sugar and a drizzle of honey.
4. Add a dollop on the side of oven roasted, caramelized root vegetables.
5. Use a sauce for making a White Pizza.
6. Place a dollop into butternut squash soup along with a tablespoon of cranberry sauce.
7. Add to your tomato sauce to make a richer, creamier pasta sauce.
8. Spread some on toast with Nutella.
9. Mascarpone definitely works on top of a baked potato.

Substitute: Blend 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup whipping cream.

Mascarpone is made from two ingredients... whole cream and citric or tartaric acid (to thicken the cream).

Click HERE to see how to make your own.
Click HERE for Ciao Italia's Italian Cheesecake recipe.

--Jerry Finzi

I just wanted to post a quick review of Sliced Bel Gioioso "Fresh" Mozzarella. I don't know what I was thinking when I threw this into my shopping cart. I usually don't buy fresh mozzarella from a supermarket, but instead buy it from a local Italian specialties shop. I actually prefer the dryer packaged skim mozzarella, smoked mozzarella fontina or provolone on my pizzas. To be honest, I didn't even notice that it was pre-sliced--in other words, they charged even more money for them slicing it for you at the factory. Heck, I haven't even bought "Sugar & Cinnamon" in over 30 years, or "thin sliced pork chops" either... I hate paying extra for something that is simple to do at home.

Anyway, back to the cheese itself. I think it was two Saturdays ago, I took it out and thought I'd use it to make a classic Pizza Neapolitana. What a mistake. First of all, the slices are way too thick (5/8") to just thrown on a pizza... I trimmed them down using safe knife skills and one of my scalloped chef knives. (Still, this was difficult).

Next, the texture was like tofu. Very fake and plastic. The melt happened only toward the end of my 5 minute bake time, and even then I had to put the oven on broil to help them melt down more. As for the taste... well, I wish there was a taste. I've never tasted such a bland mozzarella in my life. It definitely needed salt. Most mozzarella will have up to 200 mg of salt. This one contains less than half that at 85 mg. Fresh mozzarella (the really good stuff) might have salt added at both the curd stage and the hot brine-pulling stage. In the end, the melt on the pizza was not pleasant. It actually cooled down unusually fast and solidified again... the gooey-ness was never really there.

So, because of it's plastic texture, the lack of a good melt and the bland flavor, I give it only one out of five Boccas. One final comment: The beautiful sounding "Bel Gioioso" name doesn't quite cut it for a mozzarella made in Wisconsin. It's just a made up marketing name that means "joyful beautiful" in Italian. Sorry. It's neither.

--Jerry Finzi