photo by george billard

You know how biscotti means “twice cooked” in Italian? Well, ricotta means “re-cooked.” And I never knew why until I decided to investigate this wonderful light cheese for you. Turns out it’s made from whey, the low-fat and nutritious liquid that is a by-product of cheese production (sheep or cow). Who knew? So any time you make a hard cheese, you can also make ricotta from what’s left over. I’ve actually looked at many recipes for ricotta, and they never mentioned this. They all called for making it with whole milk, some even adding cream, but this is not the traditional way and results in something quite a bit richer, albeit delicious, that is more along the lines of farmers cheese or fromage blanc. Splitting hairs, you may say. And you may be right. I doubt you’re going to have a bunch of whey around, so go ahead and make your rich and delicious ricotta from whole milk. (There’s a recipe below. It’s SO easy.) What I’m really writing about, though, is the incredible ricotta you can buy from Salvatore Brooklyn. They also have a smoked version that will make your toes curl under.

This delicacy emerges from the kitchen of Lunetta in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Betsy Devine and Rachel Mark learned the craft in Tuscany from Salvatore Farina, who makes it for his wine bar in San Gimignano. Although his original recipe uses only whey, their version of it mixes in some local cow’s milk (aha!) and is curdled with lemon juice, then drained for a few hours. It has an extraordinary creaminess, with a hint of salt and acidity to enhance its sweetness. The smoked version is infused with just the right amount of deep, dark notes. Something else I could eat by the great heaping spoonful, if I were stoop so low.

In Manhattan, you can find Salvatore Ricotta at Anne Saxelby in the Essex Street Market and Lucy’s Whey in the Chelsea Market. In Brooklyn, it’s carried at Stinky Bklyn in Carroll Gardens and Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg.

At a loss for how to use ricotta? Here are some suggestions:

Spread on toast, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted almonds

Eaten with figs (and more honey and toasted hazelnuts)

Scrambled with eggs and kale

As ravioli filling, or baked into lasagne, or stirred into spaghetti with dandelion greens

Sweetened and stuffed into cannoli

Smeared on grilled, garlic-rubbed bread and piled high with sautéed chard

Stirred into polenta (especially good with the smoked kind)