Ricotta means ‘twice cooked’ and is made by reheating and straining the whey leftover from the first batch of fresh cheese making. But this non-traditional and quick method tastes great too and is so incredibly easy that it’s worth doing. I needed some ricotta for my daughter’s Friday night pizza and this was ready to go in under an hour. Creamy and just a tad lemony. This recipe is the step before finishing a homemade paneer. So even easier. Plus you can save (fridge or freezer) the whey for using with bread making, in soups, or for stretching homemade mozzarella.

Just under 1 Litre or 900ml whole milk
1 tsp salt
2-3 tbs of fresh lemon juice
very fine cheese cloth or a thin, clean cotton cloth

1) Heat up the milk till foamy and just about boiling.
2) Turn off the heat. Stir in the salt, then stir in the lemon juice, a little at a time.
3) Leave to sit for about 10 minutes until the curds separate from the whey.
4) Add a little more lemon juice if needed.
5) Place a colander in a bowl, cover with cloth and pour the curds and whey through to strain. Keep the whey.
6) Let strain for about a half hour. The ricotta is done! If it is too dry, a little whey can be stirred back in to moisten it.