The dish looks luscious but ‘parmesan’?? To what are you referring? Parmigiana Reggiano, I hope! Manchego would be nice, too.
I wanted to make this because I had a lot of basil that needed to be used and 2 giant zuchinnis from the neighbor's garden. The lemon zest made this dish. Without it, this would've been your average, run-of-the-mill cheesy pasta. Comments: We found using a full pound of ziti a bit much, so we removed about 2 cups worth. We added sauteed chicken breast strips because it had been defrosted. Next time, we'll add more red pepper flakes and garlic; it was a tad bland. Otherwise, it was delicious and easy to make.
Congratulations David Tanis! What a marvelous recipe! We followed the recipe exactly except for adding a couple of tbls. of cream to the ricotta. Loved it and it also reheated well the leftovers!
This was very bland and a waste of fresh ricotta. I wish I had put in more than "a pinch" of red pepper flakes.
1
Just made this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to a T—except I let the ricotta stand 10 minutes before straining it. Who knew fresh ricotta could be so easy? These recipes (for pasta and ricotta) are keepers.
1
I did not have ricotta. Substituted plain goat cheese thinned with cream and a little water. Sublime
1
This could not have appeared at a better time as I was staring at just about 1/2 cup of ricotta in my fridge. I made this for dinner last night and LOVED it. A new fave for us for sure!
Extremely rich. Didn't have zucchini, subbed peas. For some reason the garlic was very strong - so we had tiny portions.
Can you share the name of the goat farm in Sicily?? We are going there in a week and would love to visit!
please do not ever use or recommend "parmesan" in a sicilian dish
you kind of dont understand the dish if you think thats a reasonable comment to make
you kind of dont understand the dish if you think thats a reasonable comment to make
4
Incidentally, the way to make ricotta is kind of halfway to making 'Paneer', the wonderful Indian dairy item that is superb with curried spinach (saag-paneer). Once heated whole milk is curdled with acid (vinegar or lemon), let it simmer till whey becomes nearly clear. Strain and keep pressed between some paper towels or cheesecloth. After about 30 minutes you'll have a firm white product, not unlike firm tofu. Cube it and and use in curries or saute with peas and spices. For a great flavor, throw a couple of cardamom pods while boiling milk. You can take them out them before straining.
6
Frankly, this great article makes me sad. I have enjoyed 'real,' 'fresh' Ricotta a number of times and when properly used, it can be wonderful. That said, the truly great cheese is nearly impossible to obtain in Amerika and despite a modest process, few make it well. In most circumstances, importing 'fresh' Ricotta is a felony (just as the USDA!) and obviously not worth the trouble and risk. The commercially produced Ricotta, Amerika-style, is horrible, so for the most part, we just do without. Much the same case can be made for (or against) domestic 'Moz' cheese; it can be had, few know how to make it well and for a soft, short-lived cheese, the cost is nearly obscene. And again, the commercially produced imitators are even worse. Sad but true.
The only viable alternative is to BAN the word, "Cheese" from from labels and brands that produce more than (some gross weight number) per year. I sure do not want to see the Kraft brand on any cheese in my home. Also, no modifications of the word, like processed, Pasteurized, modified, part (something), or enhanced. Nuts!! While "Real Cheese" a a horrible abuse of trademark rights - and too often WRONG, please use only properly produced genuine cheese - nothing added and nothing removed, save the whey. I do not make or sell cheese. I do eat the the whole, natural product. And shame on Kraft!
The only viable alternative is to BAN the word, "Cheese" from from labels and brands that produce more than (some gross weight number) per year. I sure do not want to see the Kraft brand on any cheese in my home. Also, no modifications of the word, like processed, Pasteurized, modified, part (something), or enhanced. Nuts!! While "Real Cheese" a a horrible abuse of trademark rights - and too often WRONG, please use only properly produced genuine cheese - nothing added and nothing removed, save the whey. I do not make or sell cheese. I do eat the the whole, natural product. And shame on Kraft!
4
I'm curious but what widely available brands of milk are you guys (the readers) using? Or are you purchasing pasteurized milk at the farmer's market or paying for brands like Ronnybrook? I've read that UHT milk doesn't work and most milk found in stores are UHT, even when it's not clearly labeled. Most failed attempts at making ricotta and mozzarella I've heard about was due to UHT milk which the people didn't realize was UHT until it was too late.
2
While fresh ricotta IS lovely, and I'm a cheesemaking type myself, good quality supermarket ricotta and good quality supermarket zucchini can be used to make this dish.
Perhaps not "sublime", but still delicious, and we should be encouraging families who can't afford the fresh stuff (let alone trips to Sicily) in their family budgets to try dishes like this with the materials more readily at hand. Or is that too down market for NY Times food writers?
Perhaps not "sublime", but still delicious, and we should be encouraging families who can't afford the fresh stuff (let alone trips to Sicily) in their family budgets to try dishes like this with the materials more readily at hand. Or is that too down market for NY Times food writers?
37
I made this last night. It was delicious although with two pounds of zucchini I ended up using the pasta pot rather than the skillet for the combining. My skillet would have overflowed.
It reminded me of a dish I used to make the night before my daughter's swim meets. It had spinach and sundried tomatoes instead of zucchini and feta instead of percornio but the general idea was the same. It was her "psyche meal"
It reminded me of a dish I used to make the night before my daughter's swim meets. It had spinach and sundried tomatoes instead of zucchini and feta instead of percornio but the general idea was the same. It was her "psyche meal"
3
Fresh ricotta! make it.. it is simple. recipes all over the internet. here's mine...
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 pint heavy cream
pinch of salt
in a pot, cook to 180 degrees
add 1/6 cup vinegar
stir lightly for 2 1/5 minutes
strain (the hardest part for me)
let it rest a bit.
then it's ready for whatever you want to do with it..
h
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 pint heavy cream
pinch of salt
in a pot, cook to 180 degrees
add 1/6 cup vinegar
stir lightly for 2 1/5 minutes
strain (the hardest part for me)
let it rest a bit.
then it's ready for whatever you want to do with it..
h
10
What’s the yield?
Ricotta does not melt. Being one of the few cheeses that are curdled primarily by acid (as opposed to rennet), its chemical makeup is such that it simply cannot melt, it stays as it is. A fuller explanation can be found in "McGee on Food and Cooking." The creamy cloak is caused by the addition of cooking water and by stirring the pasta itself, which brings in, and releases more starch, from the pasta.
22
I've been making this sauce with chopped spinach or freshly picked cherry tomatoes (Sweet 100s for those who care) for years.
5
Superb. Try substituting fresh, shelled and ever so lightly steamed fava beans for the zucchini. It turns a simple pasta into a feast for the gods. In this desert I live in, manage to grow about three handfuls of shelled fava beans a year - guess what they are reserved for. And for the record - Whole Foods here sells an excellent fresh ricotta.
4
While I don't hate zucchini, neither do I love it. It combines my least favorite characteristics of cucumbers and eggplant without either's distinctive personality. Watery and tasteless, its crispness lacks definition and its sliminess lacks sensuality. The only justification for zucchini recipes is to do something with that bag of it from your neighbor's garden sitting forlornly on your counter. There is no reason to ever buy zucchini.
It seems like a shame to ruin the vibrant flavors of fresh ricotta and pesto and lemon zest with such a drab fruit-that-would-be-a-vegetable. How about an actual vegetable? Broccoli rabe, or even regular broccoli, could work really well here. Asparagus. Rhubarb, even. (Though I do think the idea of using fresh peas is sound.)
And fresh pasta would be a requirement for this kind of recipe as well, I think. You can make that at home as well as the ricotta: three eggs for a pound of flour that's 3/4 durum and 1/4 semolina. Well worth the trouble.
It seems like a shame to ruin the vibrant flavors of fresh ricotta and pesto and lemon zest with such a drab fruit-that-would-be-a-vegetable. How about an actual vegetable? Broccoli rabe, or even regular broccoli, could work really well here. Asparagus. Rhubarb, even. (Though I do think the idea of using fresh peas is sound.)
And fresh pasta would be a requirement for this kind of recipe as well, I think. You can make that at home as well as the ricotta: three eggs for a pound of flour that's 3/4 durum and 1/4 semolina. Well worth the trouble.
5
Best way to enjoy Zucchini is fresh, cut into ultra thin slices, served with drizzled olive oil, pine nuts, salt and pepper and thinly sliced pecorino, maybe some lemon zest or juice. Great fresh simple salad I first tasted at Buca Mario in Florence! Works with fresh artichokes too, although we have many other uses for those.
10
I recommend that James make a visit to Italy to see the many ways zucchini can be used to delicious effect. Two simple ways: heat some good olive oil with a clove of garlic and fry zucchini sliced thin at some point removing the garlic before it is burned and when the zucchini is falling apart add some mint leaves for a few moments and mix with the cooked pasta, serve with grated cheese. Or thin slices of zucchini broiled, dressed with oil, lemon, and salt brings out the natural taste of the sugars in the zucchini.
2
conchiglie shaped pasta, for the coating a pat of butter, well salted pasta water and absolutely, absolutely fresh ricotta, a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper.. toss and serve, nothing else..
4
There is nothing better than fresh ricotta. I do this exact thing all the time for a quick and delicious dinner. One of my favorite combinations uses caramelized onions and slow roasted cherry tomatoes (Smitten Kitchen recipe). With the onions and tomatoes pre-made and stored in the fridge in a bit of olive oil, dinner comes together literally as fast as it takes the pasta to cook.
To Tuvw Xyz: in the US in urban areas at least, many Italian grocers and specialty markets will have fresh housemade ricotta available (even cow's milk kind is good enough).
To Tuvw Xyz: in the US in urban areas at least, many Italian grocers and specialty markets will have fresh housemade ricotta available (even cow's milk kind is good enough).
7
Thanks to Mr. Tanis for a wonderful explanation of how pecorino and ricotta are made.
As for the recipe -- sorry! -- I dislike zucchini more than broccoli. The recommendation that "ricotta needs to be ultra fresh" may not be easy to follow on this side of the Atlantic.
As for the recipe -- sorry! -- I dislike zucchini more than broccoli. The recommendation that "ricotta needs to be ultra fresh" may not be easy to follow on this side of the Atlantic.
2
Maybe he has a recipe for fresh riccota.
1
My here is a recipe for fresh ricotta in the article, which I am anxious to try. It is curious though as the recipe does not re-cook the whey? In a nutshell the recipe says to take milk,1/2 & 1/2, yogurt, lemon juice, salt. Simmer until it curdles and then drain,what remains is ricotta. Maybe this could be explained.
3
urbanhiker, I think this might be explained by the type of whey you have after cooking the ricotta according to this recipe.
Sweet whey is what you get after making cheese that cooks the milk but doesn't sour it with the addition of lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar, etc. You can make ricotta from sweet whey.
But the whey you have after this recipe is sour whey, because of the cooking of milk and lemon juice.
I use the leftover sour whey to partially substitute for water in bread-baking or rice dishes; and a bit of it well-diluted, can be used now & then to feed by window box herbs and small container tomato plants.
Someone else may come along to clarify, but this is my understanding of why the whey from this recipe cannot be collected and re-cooked.
Sweet whey is what you get after making cheese that cooks the milk but doesn't sour it with the addition of lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar, etc. You can make ricotta from sweet whey.
But the whey you have after this recipe is sour whey, because of the cooking of milk and lemon juice.
I use the leftover sour whey to partially substitute for water in bread-baking or rice dishes; and a bit of it well-diluted, can be used now & then to feed by window box herbs and small container tomato plants.
Someone else may come along to clarify, but this is my understanding of why the whey from this recipe cannot be collected and re-cooked.
2