Ricotta Cheese with Fox Hill Milk

I love italian food.  Can't get enough of it.  I have already given you a recipe for a great tomato sauce, and now I will show you how to make ricotta cheese.  Ricotta is used as a filling for ravioli or other stuffed pasta, it is used in lasagna and is also fantastic for making all kinds of desserts.  You can get ricotta in the stores but trust me this is much better.  It is so soft, smooth, and creamy.  It has a clean rich flavor that can't be matched by the cheese you get at your local factory food outlet.

This recipe uses 2 L of Fox Hill milk and will yield about half a pound of ricotta.  It is very simple to do and it will be worth the effort.  If you do not use Fox Hill Milk then you will need to as about 3/4 cup of cream into the mixture to get a nice rich ricotta.  I have made this a number of times and I can tell you honestly tell you using Fox Hill’s milk results in the best ricotta that I have had.  It only makes sense as the more natural the product the better the results will be.

I will be using this cheese in several recipes I will blog later but this will go great in any recipe you have that uses ricotta cheese.  

Ingredients

2 L Unhomogenized Milk or 2 L Whole Milk and 3/4 cup cream

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Cheese Cloth (this will be required to drain the cheese)

Add the milk and salt to a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven and heat the milk to 180 degrees.  Be careful to not let the milk boil.  Make sure you put the thermometer into the milk deep enough to get an accurate reading.  When the milk is to temperature add in the lemon juice and gently stir it in one or two stirs, do not aggressively stir because you do not want the curds to be broken up.  

Turn the heat to low and allow to cook for 15 minutes longer.  Again do not let it come to a boil.  After 15 minutes turn off the pot and cover.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to an hour or until you see the curds formed and the liquid separating.  You will see the milk curdle when you add the lemon juice this is not what you are looking for.  You want the milk solids to really form up or the liquid will not strain off.

When this is completed line a colander with several layers of cheese cloth.  Slowly pour the mixture into the cheese cloth and allow to drain until all of the liquid has passed through.  (About 30 min to an hour).  You can then take the cheese and put it in a storage container and refrigerate or use it right away.  It will stay fresh 2 to 3 days.

Special thanks to Fox Hill Cheese House for making such a wonderful product.

Poached Eggs on Roasted Root Vegetable Hash

As those who follow my blog may know I am a bit of a breakfast lover.  I enjoy a hearty breakfast and love a properly cooked egg.  This morning I got up and saw the wonderful selection of root vegetables I purchased at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market and decided poached eggs on hash would be ideal.  

To make my roasted vegetable hash I first needed roasted vegetables.  Since it is winter and I am trying to eat locally then the roasted veggies are root vegetables.   I picked up some great red onions, sweet potatoes, multicolored carrots and fingerling potatoes from Noggins Corner Farm those served as the base for my breakfast.  Who said winter eating is boring in Nova Scotia.

Roasted Root Vegetables

12 Fingerling Potatoes 1 inch slices

3 Carrots Sliced

3 Small to Medium Sweet Potatoes 1 inch dice

1 Red Onion Chopped

2 cloves of Garlic Sliced

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

6 sprigs of Oregano

3 sprigs of Rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375.  Chop up the vegetables and put them in a roasting pan.  sprinkle with salt and pepper, add in the herbs and toss to coat all of the root veggies.   Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Allow them to brown slightly but take care not to burn the onions or garlic.  Stir occasionally to allow for even roasting.

Remove from the oven.  These can be served as part of a main course or as I did this morning be used in a hash.

Roasted Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs

1 Recipe of Roasted Root Vegetables

6 strips of bacon

1 tsp Paprika

8 fresh eggs

1 Tbsp Salt

2 tsp vinegar (rice wine I prefer)

Fry off 6 strips of bacon until crispy.  If you are using good smoked bacon render the fat off on medium low heat and then drain off the fat and crisp up.  It takes a little more time but you end up with better bacon.  

Prepare water for poaching the eggs but filling up a large frying pan with water, add in the salt and vinegar, bring to a simmer. 

Roughly mash up the hash and add to the pan (preheated) you used to cook the bacon and add the paprika.  Fry until potatoes turn a nice shade of golden.  Between the oil in the roasted vegetables and the residual bacon fat you will be able to brown up the potatoes.

To poach the eggs crack each egg into a small bowl and slide into the simmering water.  Cook them until the whites are firm but the yokes are still runny.  The yoke makes a beautiful sauce for the hash.

Plate the eggs on top of the hash.  I find this hash sweet enough to support a little spice so I topped it with sriracha hot sauce and some fresh cilantro.  

Thanks to my local suppliers:

Root Vegetables: Noggins Corner Farm

Garlic, Eggs and Bacon : Active Life Farm

Fresh Herbs : Riverview Herbs

And as always the Halifax Seaport Farm Market for providing a place for me to purchase great local product.  (Especially in the Winter)