RICOTTA ROMANA PDO

The term “ricotta” is derived from the Latin recoctus (cooked twice), giving an idea of how this dairy product is made. According to Italian law, this product cannot be classified as cheese because it is made from whey and not from milk. Ricotta was already known to the Greeks and the Romans and Columella, in his work De Re Rustica, written in the first century A.D., describes the various phases involved in its production. Ricotta Romana is obtained from processing ewe’s whey, a by-product of the cheesemaking process, coming from sheep bred and grazing in the Latium region. The flakes rising to the surface are gathered and placed in traditional “fuscelle” (cheese moulds) that allow the draining of the “scotta”, the excess liquid rich in lactose. The product does not undergo further heat treatments and therefore maintains a high water content (approximately 75%) as well as its typical consistency and aroma. It is pale white in colour and with a more pronounced tinge compared to the one produced from
cow’s whey; however, its main characteristic lies in its sweetish taste with a delicate, acid aftertaste which distinguishes it from other types of ricotta. It is ideal to accompany a crunchy piece of “Pizza Bianca di Roma”* or even an aromatic honey to exalt its delicate
flavour.

* A type of flat plain pizza often eaten instead of bread, seasoned with olive oil and coarse salt.

Cook and taste:

 

Ricotta tart with morello cherries

Serves: 4

400 g “00” flour
200 g morello cherries
200 g granulated sugar
100 g Ricotta Romana PDO
100 g butter
2 whole eggs
1 vanilla pod
1 pinch of cinnamon
zest of 1 lemonicing sugar (for decoration)

On a work surface make a well with the flour and place sugar, eggs, melted butter, grated lemon zest and vanilla pod in the centre. Mix thoroughly to make short crust pastry. Pass the ricotta through a sieve to eliminate any lumps. Add a tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and the pitted morello cherries. Blend the ingredients together to make a smooh mixture. Grease a round tart pan with butter and lay the shortcrust pastry in it, making sure that it reaches the rim. Trim the excess pastry and then pour in the ricotta and cherry mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry, cut it into thin strips and arrange it in a diagonal grid on top of the mixture.
Bake at 160°C for 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar.

 

Wine matching:

Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC dessert wine