BEET CONSOMMÉ

I PROMISED that beet consommé would be next so...

3 cups clarified stock

3 beets cooked in water and peeled once cooled

All of the reserved liquid from the cooked beets strained through a fine sieve lined with a wet paper towel or cheesecloth*

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 pkg unflavored gelatin

Salt to taste, if necessary

Mix both liquids together and heat to a simmer. Take 1/2 cup of the beet consommé and sprinkle the gelatin over the liquid and wait for it to dissolve. Stir the liquid and grate the beets directly into the consommé. Pour the dissolved gelatin mixture and the vinegar into the consommé. 

Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let the consommé steep for an hour. Drain contents through a fine sieve lined with a wet paper towel or cheesecloth. Discard the beets and let the consommé cool and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight). You should have a deliciously clear, gelatinous mixture. 

It is purely optional but you can either serve it clear or with sour cream and fresh dill or freshly grated horseradish. You can also serve it with a small whole boiled beet or a small peeled, boiled potato. I tried all of the combinations and it's best - at least to me - simply clear. Any way you choose, chilled or heated, with or without vegetable, starch, or dairy, you will find that this is a totally marvelous concoction, which, while rich, still remains light and not terribly filling when served in a teacup or a small bowl as seen in the photograph above. It makes a fabulous first or second course (if you're serving something cold and from the sea beforehand!).  Even my little puppy, Ludwig, sat patiently waiting for a drop or two or six to lick up from a spoon! Such a gourmet dog, he; my favorite and constant taste tester!

* I use a fine mesh strainer lined with a wet paper towel with a small china cap strainer inserted into that to catch all of the solids. The double strainer helps to ensure a truly clear broth, free of any particles or debris from the boiled vegetables or stock (if not as yet clarified). If you can't use a double strainer, you will have to pass the liquid through a fine sieve a second time into a clean bowl or pot as described above.

STOCK!

The very essence of stock is intoxicating. Aromas and pungent odors of beef bones waft through the house and deepen the longer you cook them. I never cook a stock for anything less than 4 hours. 5 or 6 hours are actually about the most you can go before you've sucked every shred of flavor you can get from a bone or a cut of meat, be it beef, veal, pork or chicken (or all four). 

CLEAR CONSOMMÉ

Stocks take many varied forms: dark, white, fish, beef, chicken, veal, pork. Give me a bone and I'll roast it and boil it and simmer it and cajole as much flavor from it as I can. Add some cut vegetables fresh herbs and such and you will produce something magical like the alchemist turning water into a gastronomic elixir which can be used for countless recipes, soups, sauces, and entire meals as well.

This recipe is for a brown stock and I'll be using a combination of poultry, beef, veal and pork. Subtlety lies in masking the flavors of one only to bring out the flavors of another.

To begin:

1 entire bone from a shoulder of pork (previously roasted; yes, I save bones in my freezer and you should, too!)

1 veal breast (best for a gelatinous stock)

12 chicken wings

2 lbs. beef bones or a beef shank

4 chicken thighs

Roast these ingredients with a chopped carrot and an onion cut in two at 450º for about an hour. Turn the breast, and the shank (if using) over once, as well as the wings to extract as much flavor from the bones as possible and render the fat. 

Put all the meats as well as all the juices and fat from the pan  into a large enough pot to hold all the contents and cover by 2-3 inches with cold water. Bring the contents to the simmer (do not boil!) and immediately turn the heat down and start skimming any scum which rises to the top. 

Add:

2 peeled and chopped carrots

1 chopped whole onion

2 chopped stalks of celery 

1 chopped leek (some of the green leaves is okay)

1 herb bouquet wrapped and tied in double strength cheesecloth made from:

1 bunch parsley

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary

4-5 sprigs fresh sage

4 cloves

4 cloves unpeeled garlic

6 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

Simmer for 4-6 hours. You don't want more than the merest bubble here and there at the top of the pot. The less you stir and the less boiling the clearer the broth will remain. You do not want a cloudy broth.

When you think it's time to stop cooking, turn off the heat and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour. You should have about 1-1/2 -2 gallons of stock. 

Strain the stock through a colander lined with a wet tea towel or triple strength cheesecloth which can fit nicely over another stock pot. Push solids to extract as much liquid as possible and let sit for about 30 minutes. Discard solids.

I like to refrigerate my stock overnight and degrease the stock when the fat has risen to and solidifed at the surface. You may or may not have a vast amount of fat and you can definitely use these "drippings" for cooking other things but whether or not you save such is totally up to you. (I do!)

CLARIFIED STOCK

If you want a completely fat free and totally clear and flavorful  consommé, this is what you need to do:

Mix together:

1 lb. ground beef
1 stalk chopped celery
1 chopped carrot 
1 bunch parsley
2 tsp. tarragon
3 egg whites
1 washed and chopped leek (green parts as well)

When you have a nice mass of meat and egg white, place contents into the stock pot, turn on the heat and bring to the boil. You should stir very often to ensure that the egg whites or any other solids don't stick to the bottom of the pot. As soon as the liquid starts to boil, STOP stirring. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible and simmer for about an hour. There will be little geysers on the surface of the crust that forms at the top of the stock. The albumen from the beef and the egg whites are collecting all the impurities in the stock and you will immediately see that there is a very clear liquid under the crust. 

CRUSTY EGG WHITES CLARIFYING STOCK

When the stock is completely clarified, you will need another tea towel and pot to very carefully pour the liquid through to the other pot. Do not in any way upset the crust. When the contents are drained, you can then gently lift the crust and place it in the colander. Let it drain for about an hour and discard. 

You should have a great deal of stock - roughly 2 gallons. Pour 1 cup of Madeira into the stock, stir and let cool. At this point, you can refrigerate the clarified stock or store in separate containers and freeze for future use. When refrigerated overnight, you will see exactly what I meant about gelatinous possibilities; the consommé should jiggle in its container.

This consommé is now ready to be consumed with julienned vegetables or can be used as the basis for a great many other soups and/or sauces and, if you have the patience and the time, it can be transformed into demi-glace, a 3-quart reduction process which will result in about 1/2 cup of deep brown, marvelously thick and velvety sauce.

I made a beet consommé last night - delicious! - in preparation for beet soup. Recipe to follow soon.

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

I KNOW this sound trite, and I'm sure everyone has their "own" way of making this very American Italian dish (I've never seen this dish offered in any restaurant, trattoria or home table in Italy; besides, meat is never eaten with spaghetti), but, I decided to make meatballs the other night at 11:00. I weighed the consequences of eating so late and waited until the next day and had this for lunch - yes - with spaghetti. 

Meatballs or polpette as they're called in Italian aren't hard to make, but they're easy to screw up if you're not attentive. They can be eaten alone after being pan-fried in olive oil and served with lemon or they can be slightly sautéed and then poached in tomato sauce. I like them both ways and leftover meatballs make fantastic sandwiches with butter. 

One half pound of ground beef should yield about 8-10 meatballs, depending on how small or large you want them. There are several schools of thought about meatballs: using only beef, or combining beef, pork and veal. I prefer only beef but whatever you choose to do, make sure you have equal portions of each of the ground meats that you use.

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 medium sized chopped onion

1 chopped stalk celery

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

about 25 leaves of flat parsley minced

18-20 basil leaves minced

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. fennel seed

1/8 tsp. pulverized dried rosemary (I dry my own)

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients with your hands until you have a hearty mass of meat, completely mixed, held together as if it were a ball of bread dough. If it is too dry, add a bit of milk; if it is too wet, add more cheese or bread crumb.

Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.

While the meat is resting, make the tomato sauce.

EVOO

1 onion minced

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

25 leaves fresh basil cut into chiffonade

2 cans crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper

pinch of sugar (optional)

Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add the thyme and half the basil. Add the tomatoes and stir until well incorporated. Bring to the boil and turn down the heat to a bare simmer and cover. 

While sauce is simmering, form the meatballs with your hands (throw the ball into one of your hands as you form them to make them dense and compact) and place on a plate. Take a large cast iron skillet or any heavy bottomed pan and sauté the meatballs in olive oil. Salt each meatball and allow a nice brown skin to form on the bottom before turning over. (The meatballs will fall apart if you do this too soon, so make sure there is a good crust on the bottom before you turn them.)

Remove each meatball as they are done (they should be only partially cooked inside but brown on the outside) and carefully place each meatball into the pot with the sauce. Add the rest of the basil. Keep covered and simmer while you make the pasta (about 20 minutes). 

Take a very large pot and fill it with water. Cover the pot and bring to the boil, add a handful of Kosher salt and cook 1 pound of spaghetti. Cover the pot after you put in the pasta to bring it back to the boil faster and then remove the cover. Cook until al dente and drain in a colander. Put the pasta in a large bowl and mix with the sauce and serve with a meatball or two in each bowl and some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Serves 4-6 people.

Simple!

LEFTOVER PASTA SALAD

I'M NOT exactly sure if I like this big print but we'll continue.

First things first: I would really appreciate it if people who read my blog would make comments. It makes this much more congenial and it would be nice to have some feedback, good or bad; nothing is censored or filtered here so, feel free. You can even do it anonymously if you're shy!

Last night, I made linguini with pesto. An entire pound of pasta. This morning, I looked at the leftovers and realized that I hadn't mentioned that pesto isn't very good cold. Tepid, room temperature or even slightly warmed, yes; but cold? Absolutely not. It's sort of a gloppy, congealed mess. So, living in a leftover world (Sicilians never throw food away), and, especially because the mercury is expected to rise to almost 90º, I took a container of cherry tomatoes, half of a shallot, a bunch of parsley and chopped it all very coarsely. I then added a little salt and pepper, about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkling or two of rice vinegar and since I had fresh chives drying on a plate, I added a little of that as well. 

I mixed it all together with the leftover pasta and this is what I got! LUNCH!

Linguini with Fresh Tomatoes and Shallots

I am cooking large dried lima beans as I write this . . . with olive oil, a shallot, bay leaves and sage. More on that later.

Have a wonderful day!

Buon appetito!

PESTO

One of my readers complained the other day that the type size on my blog, especially with the new design, was hard to read. Rather than change the background again (I'm not ready for that yet), I'm going to try a larger print size and see how that works. If I don't like it, I'll go back to regular print, but we'll try it for a while and see how it goes. 

That said, it's August and it's the season for two things: harvesting tomatoes and making tons of sauce to can and jar for the coming months; and collecting the very-in-season basil to make pesto. I know, I know. I could go on and on how the word "pesto" has been done to death in every American kitchen and crept its way into literally any and every Italian dish imaginable, but there is nothing like la vera cosa (the real deal)! It's not that hard to make and it is, without question so very much better than ANYTHING you will find in a grocery or specialty store. Pesto with preservatives and that far off faded green to almost black color is the kiss of death. Pesto should be green! Like this:

Ready for the fridge - GREEN Luscious Pesto!

Which brings us to ingredients. With the price of Pignoli (pine nuts) reaching ever heavenwards - last time I looked at Fairway, the price was $19.00 a pound; Costco offers a 1-1/2 pound bag for $24.99, but they're made in China; and Kalustyan's on Lexington Avenue offers the Chinese brand at $19.00 a pound and the superior Italian version at $36.00 a pound - it is positively prohibitive and put into the proper perspective (fois gras from D'Artagnan costs $62.00 a pound), is totally unrealistic. So, I have modified my version of Pesto Genovese and use hazelnuts. I have used walnuts as well from time to time and they both work out pretty well. The secret is to grind the nuts and then pulverize them completely into a paste in a mortar and pestle. Considering you're cutting down on pignoli, the same cannot and should not apply to the cheese you use. Grana Padano or Reggiano-Parmigiano, please; and thank you very much, too! Domestic Parmesan chesese should never be used, not even the ersatz version from South America. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil should also be of high quality (I use Sicilian olive oil). This is not an inexpensive sauce, let me tell you; so if you really want to go whole hog, use pignoli. The fois gras will have cost less! 

PESTO

1 large bunch fresh basil (cleaned in a water bath, stems removed and dried with a paper towel or a salad spinner)

6 cloves garlic

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts (which will diminish to about 4 tbs. after you've pulverized into a paste)

1-1/2 cups Grana or Parmeggiano (grated)

EVOO

Crush the nuts with a rolling pin or put the nuts in a food processor or mini-food processor and process for about 5 seconds. Place the mixture into a mortar and pestle and work them into a paste. Set aside and reserve. Chop the entire quantity of basil until extremely fine (you will originally have  had a huge pile of basil on your cutting board, which, once chopped as finely* as you can get it, will have reduced in volume by about 6 inches high and 12 inches in diameter into the size seen in the picture below). Take the garlic cloves and with the flattened end of a cleaver, smash them and chop very fine. Add to the mortar with a pinch of salt and grind with the pestle until it is a paste. Start adding the basil a little bit at a time and grind until it becomes a green paste. Continue doing this until all of the basil is used up. 

Results from chopping and grinding 

Add the nut paste and mix well with the pesto. Start drizzling in Olive Oil just up to the point that you start to see that there is excess oil. Add grated cheese until it absorbs most of the oil and stop. Let rest for about 15 minutes. Add a little more oil and mix until it has saturated the basil.

Pesto

When it is finished, store in a plastic container or a glass jam jar. Cover with a light film of olive oil. I could say to use  it within one week or freeze for up to 6 months, but, it is recommended that you use it up the day you make it. I know that it seems like a lot of work for only one meal but even using it one day later alters the taste of pesto. It is made from fresh ingredients and should be eaten as a fresh commodity. Freeze it if you must, but it will never taste as it will the day you make it.

PESTO

To make pasta con pesto, it is always advisable to make it with a long noodle such as tagliatelle or pappardelle. Linguini or tagliolini will do, but I wouldn't go any thinner and I definitely wouldn't use any sort of macaroni - not even penne; especially not penne. Always remember to take a ladle-full of the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is finished cooking and add it to the pesto before you mix with the pasta.  Toss and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Buon appetito!

* You can chiffonade the leaves if you want to work harder or you can use a food processor if you're lazy, but I don't recommend it. There is something very metallic tasting in the pesto when made by a machine and it isn't as rewarding in the end. I use a large Chinese cleaver for chopping the basil and the garlic. It is VERY fast and extremely efficient. Pesto is one of those things that demand attention and patience. You won't be disappointed and once you've tasted it, you'll never use a machine again for this delicious sauce.

VICHYSSOISE

As you can see, I'm back with a vengeance, and I don't mean guillotine! And if you don't know what that means, you don't know your Dickens.

You may have guessed by now that I love my dog, Ludwig. And I'm sure you've noticed that he is completely lovable and adorable (everyone says so!). You might have already suspected that since I cook for humans, I also cook for my dog and you are completely and totally correct on that score. He has a daily regimen of kibble mixed in with boiled chicken and as you can imagine, our house is never in short supply of chicken stock. I often reuse the same stock to boil more chicken and by around the 4th or 5th boiling, I can absolutely verify that what I have is some of the richest and most flavorful chicken stock money can't buy. And, this being summer, taking inspiration from a far flung friend from Fire Island (was that alliterative enough for you?) who made Vichyssoise last week, I decided to make a batch of my own. He, too, uses chicken stock many times enriched, which results in an extraordinarily unctuous elixir. 

First of all, one must make the stock. I use a combination of chicken breasts and thighs (bone definitely in). Bring the contents of the stock pot to a boil and lower heat to lowest possible setting and immediately skim all residue and scum off the top and discard. Skimming ensures that you will have a clear broth by the end of the cooking time. I always make my stock and Ludwig's chicken the night before and when it's completely finished cooking (about 2 hours), I turn off the heat and let it sit and cool before removing the chicken. Save the broth in the fridge until the next time you'll need to make chicken. In this case, I freeze it because I make enough chicken for a week. For Vichyssoise, you will have to thaw and/or reheat the stock and season it accordingly with the usual vegetables, herbs and salt before making the actual soup. 

Chicken Stock

2 whole chicken breasts

4 chicken thighs (bone in)

8 cups water

Bring everything to a boil, turn to simmer and skim off the scum

Cover and allow to cook for 2 hours. See directions above.

VICHYSSOISE

VICHYSSOISE

Reheat broth and add 

1 chopped carrot 

1 whole leek, chopped (white part only)

1 stalk chopped celery

Herb bouquet consisting of a few sprigs of the following: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, one bay leaf and 3-4 black pepper corns tied in cheesecloth. 

Cook for another hour. Remove herb bouquet, add 

3-4 peeled potatoes cut into medium sized dice 

1 stalk of leeks, again white part only, chopped, 

and

1 peeled and diced carrot (optional)

Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook for 20 minutes. 

Mash the contents with a potato masher and then liquefy with an emulsion blender until you have a smooth, creamy soup (potage).

Let cool and refrigerate (covered) for 2 hours.

Add 1 pint heavy cream, correct seasoning (cold soups always need to be salted more), and add

20 stalks of chives chopped to even lenghts.

Strew the chives into the soup and chill for at least another hour or overnight.

Serve at your leisure.

Bon appetit!

BACK FROM MY TRAVELS WITH A VEAL RAGÙ

I've been away for the last 2 weeks and even though I've been eating a great deal of very good food, I haven't written any of it down to record. But, there is always my memory to serve that purpose and so, in Sacramento, California, I ate lots of salads, some exceptionally good (Cobb, Hearts of Iceberg with Roquefort Dressing and bacon (OMG!)), and some of it only fair. I ate the absolute worst Mexican food I have ever had: the refried beans looked like something else entirely and the rice was an ersatz version of minute rice tinted yellow. I suffered all night after that debacle. I did have a very good Ceviche at a restaurant called Seasons 52, so all was not lost. I was very disappointed to be reminded the second to last day of my visit that Biba Caggiano (Bolognese, and of Taste of Italy cookbook fame) had a restaurant in Sacramento which was closed the day I wanted to go and partake. Sigh! After my trip to California, I spent a week on Fire Island at the fabulous Casita where my dog, Ludwig, and I, et. al., lounged on the beach, listening to the sounds of the ocean and running in the sand. Ludwig was more prone to digging holes in search of a cool spot, and, of course, being the recipient of tasty bites and morsels from anyone and everyone's plates at the table!

We feasted on a rack of pork (grilled, of course; unless otherwise indicated, everything was grilled), served with eggplant, zucchini and peppers; we had Oysters Rockefeller with a beet salad and Vichyssoise; we had a butterflied Leg of Lamb which was seasoned with dry herbs for two days beforehand; we had a marvelous fish soup with an extremely rich and garlicky Aioli; and then there were the required hamburgers with salad and rolls, plus the wonderful luncheons on the beach comprised of recreated leftovers (lamb and pork sandwiches, yellow plums, tomatoes and mozzarella, Israeli Couscous salad with grilled lemons and other vegetables all tinted a marvelous pink from luscious beets). My last home made breakfast consisted of an English muffin, topped with a crab cake from the previous night's dinner topped with a poached egg all under a major slathering of Hollandaise Sauce! And last but not least, Pappardelle with Ragù and roasted peppers and leftover Italian sausage. Talk about rich and decadent. The weather really did cooperate the last 4 days of our trip and I came away a happy - and very tanned - camper.

It's nice to be home, though, and ever since I wrote about Ragù Bolognese, I've been thinking about writing down - and making, of course - my recipe for Veal Ragù. So, without any further ado, here it is! But, before I set down the ingredients, I just want to say that this sauce is the base upon which my lasagna - one of them - is made.

2-3 lbs. veal neck bones *(See options below)

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter

4 tbs. EVOO

1 onion finely chopped

2 carrots, cut into fine dice

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, smashed and then chopped to a paste

4 oz. chicken livers, chopped to a pulp

2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

3 tsp. fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, minced

5 leaves fresh sage, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 lb. veal stewing cubes, chopped slightly with a cleaver

1 1/2 cups whole milk or 1 cup skim milk mixed with 1/2 cup half'n'half

Salt and Pepper

Nutmeg

20 leaves fresh basil, stems removed, rolled and cut into chiffonade

2 gallons tomatoes - a combination of chopped, whole San Marzano and crushed tomatoes is ideal here (my proportions are a large can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes in juice, 1 or 2 containers of Pomi crushed tomatoes and 4, 12 oz. cans of chopped tomatoes).

Heat the oven to 350ºF.

Drizzle a bit of the olive oil on a heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet. Place the bones in the pan and roast in the oven for about 2 hours. Turn occasionally to ensure even browning.

In a very large stock pot, melt the butter and the remaining olive oil and saute the onions over fairly moderate heat. When they become translucent, add the carrots and the celery and the chopped thyme, parsley and sage. Stir occasionally until they are cooked. Add the liver and saute until that is cooked through. The ingredients at this point will look very dense. Add the white wine and continue to stir until almost all of the wine has evaporated. Add the stewing pieces and sautè until they are browned. Add the bones and turn a few times to incorporate all the ingredients before adding the milk and nutmeg. Turn the heat up and bring to the boil and cook until the milk has evaporated to about 1/4 cup. The liquid will have thick bubbles and the ingredients should be very dense.

Before adding the tomatoes, I always take the peeled whole tomatoes and put them in a large bowl and crush them with my hands. It helps them to cook more evenly. After you've done this, add the tomatoes and stir to incorporate the milk and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil and a few more gratings of nutmeg. Bring to the boil and stir often. Turn the heat down to a barely bubbling simmer and partially cover the pot. Stir occasionally, always checking that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook in this manner for about 4 hours. You should have a lusciously dense sauce full of flavorful meat. Let the sauce rest for at least one hour.

Veal Ragù (before)

At this point, you can start to pick at the sauce and remove any bones and meat. Separate the bones, remove any meat on them and add that to the veal pieces which you will have already placed in a food processor OR you can use an emulsion hand blender and process directly in the pot. Process the veal pieces by pulsing it all for about 10 seconds. Take a slotted spoon and dredge the sauce to make sure you haven't any stray pieces of bone and then add the veal to the sauce. Correct seasoning if necessary. Return the veal to the pot, stir and add the last half stick of butter and let it melt on its own in the pot. The sauce is now ready for whichever way you wish to use it: eating immediately, jarring it, freezing it, etc.

Veal Ragù (after)

The best way to use this sauce is in Lasagna or with Tagliatelle or Pappardelle (egg or spinach). It is particularly good when served with petites pois and Reggiano Parmigiano.

* Veal bones are completely optional. If you do use them, you should remove them from the pot after an hour of cooking, clean them of any meat that can be used in the sauce and discard the bones (or save them to extract more out of them in stock, etc.). You don't have to use veal neck bones per se. You can use a couple of Osso Bucchi (very expensive) or a veal breast which you will have to roast first and, depending on how rich you want your sauce to be, remove all fat either before or after cooking in sauce.

GNOCCHI DI RICOTTA

It is rare that I make these and that is a pity because they are so delicious and aren't hard to make.

I make my own ricotta, but if you don't or can't or just don't want to make your own, it is always best to get the freshest ricotta available. Most Italian grocery stores and specialty cheese stores will have freshly made ricotta, which is definitely better than anything you'll find in a plastic container.

I've put the recipe down before but I'll enter it here again for expediency.

1/2 gallon WHOLE Milk

2 cups half and half

1 cup heavy cream (optional - I like it creamy)

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

Use a stainless steel or heavy enameled pot (Le Creuset is ideal) large enough to hold all liquids. Once you stir in the vinegar, you will 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). Gently stir occasionally so the milk doesn't scald and stick to the bottom of the pan.. You don't want to disturb the curds. I use a rubber spatula instead of a wooden or metal spoon to get in the corners at 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. You want a dense mass of ricotta cheese, so, the longer it drains, the denser the cheese will become. You can place the cheese in plastic storage containers and refrigerate for up to a week but it is best when at its freshest. 

GNOCCHI di RICOTTA

3 tbs. unsalted butter

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 onion minced

3 slices cooked ham or prosciutto (diced)

1 lb. chopped spinach

Nutmeg

Heat butter and oil together until bubbles start to subside, add onion and saute until transparent. Add the ham and the spinach and water and cook until the ingredients are well blended and the water has completely evaporate. Add nutmeg and season for taste.

12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Grana or Reggiano Parmigiano
2 eggs beaten
salt and pepper
nutmeg

Mix all ingedients with the spinach and let rest for a few moments.

At this point, you can make small gnocchi and cook them in meat stock (veal, chicken, or beef or a consommè of all three). When the gnocchi rise to the top, they are cooked and ready to serve. Ladle the gnocchi in soup bowls with the broth and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Of course, you can always serve them with melted butter and cheese or baked in cream with parmesan cheese and nutmeg. All of it delicious . . . . !