For me, making things from scratch has been immensely satisfying, be it a phyllo/filo dough, overnight pizza dough, milk khoya or something simple like making my own pumpkin puree instead of buying canned ones. But I found it tough to continue the same pace after my little one was born. With a job and a kid, things definitely took a back seat in the kitchen for a while. But then, personally, health and well being took the front seat. The responsibility of a little one, who is dependent on me for his health, is too big for my shoulders to be taken lightly. The situation on hand and my belief being very contradictory, I started working out other ways which was beneficial – to me, on my energy and my sanity. I relied on recipes that did not make me reach out, too much for processed or factory made food where the “ingredients” section required a chemist to decipher it. Simple meals were what I relied on during that tough phase.
Now, things are more regulated. No, I still don’t have the time to make something as complex as an Austrian Apple Strudel or the energy to try something continuously for 8 times before hitting success. But I definitely have the time to make waffles, pancakes, an occasional bread and at times something from scratch that’s so simple that it doesn’t even seem labor intensive. Like Ricotta Cheese. Its very simple to make, doesn’t need my attention most of the time and is such a dream to make. I say dream cos the cheese that you taste at the end of it, just doesn’t deserve this kind of ease and simplicity. But then – Simplicity is quite hard to achieve, as my parents often tell me. 
Note: Traditional Ricotta Cheese is made using leftover whey from making other cheeses, that use a coagulant like microbial, vegetable or animal rennet (example: Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella etc). Given that for being a vegetarian, making traditional ricotta is out of bounds since 99% of other traditional cheeses are made with animal rennet, I opt for making Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese; In which case it becomes virtually similar to the Indian Cheese – Paneer. You can make Paneer the same way as this (in which case,the salt is not required, but can be added along with spices for interesting variations). Also note that the leftover whey that you get from making Paneer cannot be used to make Ricotta, since it also uses Vinegar/lime juice.
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© DK for Chef In You, 2012. |
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