[Sca-cooks] Re: ricotta as "fresh cheese"?

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Ruth Frey <ruthf at uidaho.edu> wrote:
>
>      Huh!  I redacted Sabina Welserin's
> "Genovese
> Tart" recipe last 12th Night -- a savory tart
> with
> spinach, "fresh cheese" (I used ricotta), aged
> cheese (I used parmesan), and olive oil in a
> pastry
> crust.  It was very yummy, and got a good
> response
> from everyone who tried it, but our local
> cheesemaking expert really gave me a chewing
> out for
> using ricotta, since it turns out ricotta is a
> whey
> product and not actually a cheese at all (or so
> he
> told me, and I respect his knowledge of the
> subject).  

Excuse me???? Just because it is made of whey
doesn't mean it isn't a cheese!  I wonder at your
"expert" who hasn't heard of whey cheeses.  

And ricotta is period.  It is mentioned in
various 
14th-15th century Tacuina Sanitatis. 

There is also a period painting called, "The
Ricotta Eaters" by Vincenzo Campi, painted in
1581.

http://www.slowfood.com/img_sito/riviste/new_slow/EN/37/guardare.html

He did admit the dish was tasty as
> redacted, but we worked out that I should try
> some
> cream cheese or cottage cheese "drip strained"
> (like
> you do with yogurt for yogurt "cheese") and
> blended
> for my next attempt, so I would not offend the
> cheese-knowledgeable in the audience. 

I know of many good recipe redactors who think
that ricotta is an acceptable substitute for
"fresh cheese".  Especially since the recipe
calls itself "Genovese" and ricotta is Italian.

As for the "drip strained" cottage cheese, 
unless you are interested in doing the straining
yourself, which is a boring process at best, then
I would use hoop cheese, which is a commercially
available dry curd cheese, very similar to
cottage cheese, but without a lot of the
moisture.  I wonder about a cheese expert who
hasn't heard 
of hoop cheese.  I wonder why he didn't suggest 
it instead.

Another good substitute, since this is Sabina
Welserin's recipe, would be to use quark.  It is
a very German fresh cheese made from skim milk. 
I am not sure how period quark is.

Huette
  

=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.

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