Ricotta vegetable pots

Ricotta vegetable pot

I still can’t believe how easy it is, but I made ricotta cheese. Who would’ve thought! I always buy the stuff but when the March Cheese Please Challenge came along and I saw that ricotta is the Belle of the Cheese Ball in this round, I thought smugly, that’s easy! I use ricotta all the time. Until I read that I had to make it myself……and of course I can’t do THAT,  I have no “cheese making things” in my house. Sulking, I just fast read through the challenge and then saw how easy it is……..Still, there is always a possibility that I can bugger up an easy thing but alas, smooth, smooooothly it went and now you are talking to a cheese maker. A proper ricotta cheesemongermaker person! ( okay, not monger but still…).

Tools of the trade of a proper ricotta cheese maker person

I do not even have a muslin cloth so I had to borrow one from nowathome. The rest as they say, is history. Of course we shall eat ricotta now in and on everything just because!

Bring 1 liter of full cream milk to the boil and add the juice of one lemon. That is about the sum total of the most difficult part of the process……

Watch intently for 10 minutes because you are cheese proud, very

With huge flair (because you are a successful ricotta maker now), gather the family together to watch as you drain the whey in a colander, lined with a borrowed muslin cloth and give or take 15 minutes later,  gather the cheese together and lightly squeeze to drain  the excess fluid. Seal in an airtight container until use. Huh, WHO would’ve thought?! Remember to go back to the fridge at least three times to stare at your cheese creation in wonder. I shall now change my middle name to ricotta, I am so chuffed!

What to do for the veggie pots: Grease ramekins and fill with cooked vegetables of your choice. Use 1 cup of ricotta, two eggs, and one cup of cheese mixed together and salted to taste, to pour over the vegetables. Top with more grated cheese and paprika and bake at 180 C until set and golden.It also works well as a quiche filling/for baked spinach tart.

Cheesy!

Random photo: 

On a recent business trip I was offered a room upgrade as the TV (which I don’t watch) and the WIFI (which I do need) did not work in the room I booked. Look what waited for me…….friendly people indeed. I ever so politely accepted their offer.

Morrells Farm House Suite

Home at last and Cheese Please!

I do not want to be in anything with wheels or wings soon. Back at home at last after 36 hours of continuous travel, which to say the least, was nauseating. Very. I am still dazed and confused or just more so than usual.

Seoul Airport- leg 2 of 4

Morning coffee. Home sweet home!

Morning Cape Town!

Unpacking the suitcases took me two days, what with dragging an entire food isle worth of sauces, bits and bobs, Asian products and cool kitchen stuffs with me and even 2 liters of shower gel…., I liked the smell and it was on a special. What can I say, I have problems!

In my still sleepless state and a day and night body clock on the blink, I at least have time to catch up with blog reading, obsess about the recipes I am reading and put coal to the fire of my cheese craving, cheese of any kind! The South Koreans are not big on cheese and I need to catch up on my cheese backlog.

Chef Mimi posted her Easy Baked Brie recipe and I intended making it and eating it, the whole thing, even if it killed me. Full details here:http://chefmimiblog.com/2014/01/01/easy-baked-brie/

I used for the topping:

Honey and nuts with dried cranberries and cinnamon.

Tasted it and then decided that it was too sweet and added carrot and lemon chutney/ marmalade courtesy of my sister’s preserving skills.

It of course then need a punch and I added chili sauce- kid you not it all worked well!

I placed the cheese in the oven just like Chef Mimi said I should in an old and trusted glass dish that has seen better days, my sister visited and I forgot about my precious cheese!

Disaster, the dish cracked, the over-baked cheese burst open and the cheese and pieces of glass oozed and dripped all over the place. Unholy mess and I did not have another brie. But I did have a local soft blue cheese, yes I did.

Not baked blue cheese with topping

The topping mixture went on top of the unbaked( of course) soft blue cheese and ooh it was nice! I almost forgot to take a photo(dazed) and these are the only two I have( half eaten). I do have manners, shared the cheese with the family in the end, just.

Not cheese challenge excellence but I decided to enter it anyway in the http://fromagehomage.co.uk/cheese-please-recipe-challenge/, which by the way is one of my favourite blogs, not only the cheese bits, but the whole thing.

Nice to be back home. New year, new experiences.

Mist rolling in late afternoon Cape Town, fog horn blaring.

Late afternoon mist Cape Town