Let's Talk About Cookbooks! . . . And Bread Crumbs . . . And  Ricotta Cheese too!

Sorry about the gap in entries here but I've been out of town and took a holiday from cooking due to more concentrated efforts elsewhere, primarily at the piano. I did eat, however, and will be talking about that soon.

Somewhere along the line, I've mentioned that I have this vast compendium of cookbooks in my culinary library (upwards of 350 books in the apartment and at least another 300 in storage). I have a few friends to thank for giving me most of these for various occasions, including birthdays and Christmas. One of them, a very close one at that, continues to this day to give me fantastic first editions signed and inscribed by the author(s). My sister is almost always prone to announce to friends, family and even strangers that I "read cookbooks like a novel" and that is pretty close to the mark. They're not Dumas or Dickens - rarely are they fiction! -  but they do impart an enormous amount of information and by that I mean in addition to the recipes. Where else could you learn that in Sicily, to waste bread. even a crumb, is a sin for which you would be cast into purgatory for hundreds of years, forced to pick them up with your eyelashes**, or that, in the 14th century, pepper was more valuable than gold? These are only two of the many instances of the ricchezze I have acquired in the kitchen through reading, trying out recipes, mastering certain ones to the point that they become second nature to me, and, of course, savoring and eating every delicious morsel; it's called living.

** From what I've been recently reading, the waste of even a morsel of bread is not looked kindly upon in many other countries as well, including Austria and Hungary, Germany and Belgium - it is, after all, the staff of life. We in America, to our misfortune, take it all for granted.

Pictures in cookbooks are important; especially when the cookbook in question focuses on one primary target: a country, a city, a region; in my estimation, it's a specialized form of ethno-anthropology (cf. the Romans, who acquired all the spices - and their secrets - which were then lost after the fall, only to be partially rediscovered by the Venetians 1000 years later). I say this not only because they're pretty to look at, but because they evoke a culture that one would otherwise not know without seeing its people, its locales and the pride which stems from the specific products of that country or region. Besides all that, the photographs (usually on the order of Vogue magazine or better) mirror (or at least should) what the texts describe in these books. It is, in a sense, a particular journey which one takes without actually going anywhere. Of course, there is nothing like the real thing, and traveling to any given country whose cuisine is extraordinary only magnifies the aura and mystique, not to mention the experience.

I could go on and on about cookbooks and cooking but it's more important to talk about the food than my ever-expanding library. So, let me just say that after reading so many books on Italian food lately, and especially about ricotta cheese, I am now going to submit my own recipe for ricotta. It's simple, it isn't complicated and it's very rich. Some of the cookbooks subscribe to only lemon juice, some to vinegar and water (a lot of it). Most only use milk (I use milk and cream or even half and half) but one word of warning: if you're going to make ricotta cheese, you must either use Full Milk (Vitamin D) or Skim; the 1- or 2% versions somehow don't make the grade and don't curdle the way full milk or skim do.

This recipe is a prelude to what will follow in my next entry: an Orange, Almond and Ricotta Torta, so it will be good practice to make ricotta a few times to make sure you get the feel of it and can see first hand how it should done in your kitchen. There are myriad ways to use Ricotta (gnocchi, for instance), all fantastic for sure. There is always trial and error but this is so simple that it is difficult to screw this up.

Ricotta Cheese

Equipment: a large stainless steel or heavy bottomed sauce pan, lots of cheese cloth or a white tea towel, a large colander and a larger bowl to fit the colander in when draining the cheese.

Ricotta Cheese

One 1/2 gallon Milk

2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup 

Use a stainless steel or heavy enameled pot (Le Creuset is ideal) large enough to hold all ingredients. Once you stir in the vinegar, you will immediately see the milk products start to separate. Place the pot over moderately high heat and bring to a simmer (just short of  the boiling point (180º F). Stir occasionally so the milk doesn't scald and stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the milk is heating, place a double sheet of cheesecloth or a tea towel under water and then squeeze out water and unfold over a  colander.

Large clumps of curd will form and float to the top of the pan. When the temperature reaches 180º, remove the pot from the heat. Place the colander in a large bowl and start removing the curds with a slotted spoon (do not pour all the contents of the pan into the colander). Once all the curds have been removed, and if the whey is still very cloudy, you can bring the liquid back to the boiling point to see if more curds will form. If so, place those in the colander as well.

Let the ricotta drain in the colander for at least one hour. The more it drains, the denser the cheese will become. You should have a dense mass of ricotta cheese. You can place the cheese in plastic storage containers and refrigerate for up to a week but it is best when at its freshest. The clear liquid (more whey) at the bottom of the bowl can be saved in a glass jar to use in the next batch of ricotta. However, it will not stay in the fridge for more than a week so if you don't plan on using it within that frame time, you can discard it. To reuse the whey, simply pour it into the milk base the next time you make ricotta.

Bread Crumbs

I talked about bread crumbs before so let me just say that I usually make my own whenever I have leftover bread (of any kind). My Mother seasoned hers with herbs and cheese which I do as well, but I also make bread crumbs and season them with pulverized dry orange peel with fennel seed powder. You can make any combination of seasonings that are appropriate for almost any application. And of course, there are simple bread crumbs from dry bread, darkened bread crumbs from roasting the bread crumbs in the oven and still other forms, including soft bread crumbs, which in essence is torn bread left to dry and then revived with water, wine or milk. This particular bread crumb blend is especially good for breaded veal or pork cutlets, or even for Arancini (rise balls).

You need a good spice grinder (or electric coffee mill) and a nice metal tin or glass jar in which to store the crumbs. 

The rind of one orange, cut into very thin julienned strips, left to dry on a plate for 2-4 days (depending on the humidity). They will curl and become very hard.

If you have fresh fennel in the house, you can finely chop the fronds and the smaller stalks and sprinkle these on the orange rind or separately on an plate to dry as well.

Orange Peal and Fennel Fronds

4 tablespoons fennel seeds

1 tsp Kosher Salt

15-20 turns of the pepper grinder (black or white pepper)

Place orange rind and fennel in spice grinder and grind until it is a powder. Add this to about 4 cups of dried bread crumbs with the salt and the pepper. Store in air tight container of your choise. Will keep for over a year but mine are usually gone within the month.