‘Recooked’ cheese tastes anything but

LITTLE ROCK — When it comes to food, “recooked” isn’t generally a term met with much affection. The dairy world, however, gives us a fine exception in ricotta cheese.

Ricotta - Italian for recooked - isn’t exactly a stranger to most Americans, who tend to love it in their lasagna and stuffed pasta shells. But as cheeses go, its versatility is vastly underappreciated, mostly because few people realize how it’s made, or why that matters for how they use it.

So let’s start there. Ricotta got its name because it is made literally by recooking the liquid left from making other cheese, often mozzarella. This is possible because when the mozzarella or other cheeses are made, most but not all of the protein is removed from the liquid, usually cow’s milk.

That leftover protein can be cooked and coagulated using a different, acid-based process. (A rennet-based method - adding rennet, which is a by-product of veal harvesting, to the milk to make it coagulate - is used to make the first batch of cheese). Adding the acid - such as citric acid - results in a soft, granular cheese with a texture somewhere between yogurt and cottage cheese. The taste ismild, milky, salty and slightly acidic.

And that acid is key. When cheese is formed using acid, the proteins become heat resistant. In other words, the cheese doesn’t melt. So ricotta falls in the same category as paneer, halloumi, queso blanco and other cheese that can be heated without melting. This is why ricotta is such a fine choice for lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli and cheesecake. It heats wonderfully, but doesn’t reduce to a pool of goo.

In Italy, there are many varieties of ricotta, including smoked and baked. In the United States, most grocers carry only the more perish

able soft, moist variety sold

in tubs.

So now that you know

what it is and why it won’t

melt, what should you do

with it?

Top a red or white pizza

with mounds of ricotta and

bake as you normally would.

Fill overturned portobello

mushroom caps with ricotta

mixed with chopped fresh

herbs and garlic, then grill

over medium heat until the

bottoms are browned and the

cheese is hot.

Spike ricotta with honey

and cinnamon, then layer in

wide glasses with fresh ber

ries for a parfait.

Cut slits into boneless,

skinless chicken breasts, then

spoon herbed ricotta into the

center. Dredge the stuffed

chicken breasts through egg,

flour and panko breadcrumbs,

then bake.

Ricotta-Crab Quiche Bites

2 (1.9-ounce packages) frozen mini filo dough cups

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup crab meat, finely chopped

Grated parmesan cheese Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the filo cups on a

rimmed baking sheet.

In a blender, combine the

ricotta, eggs, garlic powder, salt

and pepper. Blend until very

smooth. Stir the crab meat into

the egg mixture.

Carefully spoon a bit of the

mixture into each filo cup, filling

each about three-quarters full.

Sprinkle a bit of parmesan

over each cup, then bake 15 to

20 minutes, or until the filling is

set and starting to brown.

The quiche bites can be

served hot, room temperature

or chilled.

Makes about 30 bites.