recipe: from scratch cottage cheese

I made homemade cottage cheese in order to make yesterday's recipe for chocolate mint pudding. Having already mastered regular yogurt-making, expanding into cottage cheese was my next goal. I fast-tracked this plan after a disappointing trip to the store; I couldn't find a single option without added sugar or gums. I was shocked to find sugar in Aldi's store brand, and Walmart had dropped its organic selection entirely, leaving only versions packed with unnecessary additives.

It was a super simple process to make cottage cheese so I am happy I was hurried into making it!

From Scratch Cottage Cheese

Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk

3 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions:

1) Heat milk slowly in a saucepan to 190 degrees Fahrenheit (getting the milk to temp is the longest part of the process at about 20 minutes and then the rest of the process is super quick).

2) Take the pan off the heat. Add 3 tbsp white vinegar. Stir lightly and cover right away with a lid for at least 30 minutes (I will say I'm not sure how much this resting time creates more curds as the amount looked similar right after I added the vinegar to the amount 30 minutes later. I do wonder if I used a smaller pan if less heat loss would create more curds.) 

3) Line a colander with a tea towel and set it over another bowl in order to catch the whey. Spoon the cottage cheese curds into the lined colander (don't dump it in or you will crush the curds). Let sit for 30 minutes to drain. (I used my glass Pampered Chef four cup measuring bowl with spout and it was the perfect size to catch the whey from this quantity of cottage cheese).

4) Gather the ends of the tea towel together, hold the ball under running cold tap water, gently squeezing the surface while rinsing and turning the ball. You are just trying to cool the cottage cheese down so do this motion for about 3 minutes and don't crush the ball, just gently massage the outer edges of the ball.

5) Unwrap the ball from the towel and gently turn the cottage cheese into a container (preferably a lidded container so you can use it for storage). Use a spoon to pull the mass apart to create the size curds you want.

6) Chill and eat just like this. Or, add 2 tbsp heavy cream if you used skim or 2 percent milk to make 2 percent cottage cheese and 4 tbsp heavy cream to make 4 percent cottage cheese. Salt if desired.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within a week. If it's gone bad it will have a sour odor and be discolored.

Notes:

I tried making ricotta with the whey that was drained off while making the cottage cheese. However, it was unsuccessful. Likely, the proteins were already used up in the cottage cheese making or my saucepan was too large so the heat escaped too quickly when I took it off the heat and was waiting for the curds to form. However, do try yourself to use the whey for ricotta! My whey still didn't go to waste as I used it in smoothies instead of milk/water. You can also throw it in a soup if you have one planned near your cottage cheese making time.

How I tried to make ricotta - With the approximately 2 3/4 cup whey I had after making cottage cheese, I heated it over medium until it reached 160-170 degrees fahrenheit. I added 3 tbsp whole milk and continued heating until it reached 185-195 fahrenheit. I turned off the heat and added 1/2 tsp white vinegar, then covered the pot and let rest for 15 minutes. Had it developed more clumps (see below for what I did get), I would have lined a colander with a damp cheesecloth or a fine coffee filter and let drain for 15-30 minutes depending on how creamy or firm I wanted my ricotta. Then I would have seasoned with salt.

recipe: homemade yogurt by re-culturing

 It really is this EASY to make yogurt!

1. Add 1 cup powdered whole milk and 3 1/2 cups water to a pan (or just use 3 1/2 cups already liquid milk).

2. Increase temp to 180-195 degrees F on medium low. Keep it here for 10-20 min checking periodically with a thermometer.

3. Remove from heat and let cool to 110-115 degrees F.

4. To the 110-115 F milk, add a few spoonfuls from a store bought container of plain yogurt (or form your prior batch of yogurt) and whisk or stir. It's okay if there are some clumps.

5. Pour into 2 pint jars and place in oven with the light on for 6+ hours.

Master Your Temperatures

Do your own research to ensure you are hitting the correct temperatures but these are the reliable basics I use to make fresh yogurt every 7-10 days. 

The best part? My cultures have been going active and strong now for almost a year now! In fact, the culture seems to be getting stronger over time. It now takes only four hours for my yogurt to fully solidify, compared to the six hours it took when I first started. Some yogurt makers on Reddit state that their culture gets weaker over time, but I have not found that to be the case at all.

Accurate Temperature Control

Maintaining the correct temperatures is the absolute key factor in making yogurt successfully:

- The heat stage (180-195 degrees F) - Heating your milk to this range kills competing bacteria so your yogurt culture can thrive. It also unravels the whey proteins so they can bond with the milk's casein, giving you a thick, smooth texture.

- The cool stage (110-115 degrees F) - You must ensure you do not add your starter culture to the milk until it has cooled below 115 degrees. Anything hotter will kill the beneficial bacteria. However, also ensure you do not let it cool below 110 before adding the yogurt and getting it into the warm oven as it needs to stay warm in order to turn into yogurt.

Customizing Your Texture and Batch Size

If you want prefer greek yogurt, you can easily strain the final product through cheesecloth to remove the liquid whey. However, I find this standard recipe is already perfectly thick, creamy and satisfying without any extra work.

This recipe yields two pint jars, which is the perfect amount for me as one person. It provides just enough to enjoy throughout the week without forcing you to eat yogurt every single day to finish it.

Keeping Your Culture Alive

Feel free to adjust the amount of milk to scale the batch size to your personal needs. Just remember the holden rule of sustainability: make your next batch within 7-10 days. This timeline allows you to use a small scoop of your current batch to safely innoculate the next one. Waiting longer than 10 days risks spoiling your yogurt and permanently weakening your live culture. 

HEALTHY ZUCCHINI BREAD

We always had a garden growing up - with sweet peas, zucchini, carrots, rhubarb...  I would pick fresh vegetables straight from the earth, wash them off under the spigot, and pop them in my mouth.  The zucchini was baked into bread, it seems almost daily.  I loved to bake bread!!  I don't remember who's recipe I used when I was little, but when my neighbor gifted me the hugest zucchini I've ever seen from her friends garden a few weeks ago, I went to my moms blog to search for a zucchini bread recipe.  

AND, IT'S A KEEPER!

I feel like it is so hard to find one that is a bit more healthy that is still sweet and moist.  And, this is it!  Zucchini is in season from June through August in most parts of the country so we're ending peak season.

BUT, IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET A FEW LOAVES IN!!

Zucchini Bread

Makes: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 c oil

1/2 c applesauce

1 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 c grated zucchini

2 1/2 c flour (I used 1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour + 1 c whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 c oatmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325.

2) Grease and flour 2 small loaf pans (4 1/2 x 8 1/2).

3) Beat eggs. Add oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini. Mix together. Add dry ingredients.

4) Pour into loaf pans.

5) Bake for 1 hour (or until a flat toothpick inserted comes out clean). Note: I like to underbake my bread slightly so it is more moist.

preserved lemon from scratch

In searching for preserved lemon to make Warm White Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto and Preserved Lemon (yesterday's post), I quickly did a google search while in the middle of the pickle aisle at my local supermarket and found a forum on Food52 with commenters mentioning they had seen them at their local Whole Foods in the olive bar section.  One of the co-founders of Food52 also added on that a Middle Eastern market would carry it.  I didn't want to make another stop, so I tried another search for how to make my own, but discovered the lemons take 2-3 weeks before they are ready.  Oy vey.  One more google search in the middle of that pickle aisle led me to Mark Bittman's "Quick Preserved Lemons."  Just three hours waiting and the preserved lemons are in business!  They really added a nice flavor to the pesto and were worth the anxiety.

Quick "Preserved" Lemons

Time: At least 3 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients:
4 lemons, unwaxed (or scrubbed of wax)
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

Dice lemons, including peel, removing as many seeds as possible.  Put the lemons and their juice in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and sugar: toss well and transfer to a jar.  Let the mixture sit for at least 3 hours at room temperature, shaking the jar periodically.  It can be served at that point or refrigerated for up to a week.

Yield: About 2 cups (I cut the recipe in 1/4 since I only needed 2 1/2 tbsp for the pesto, and had plenty left over).

The "preserved" lemons made in this quick recipe can only be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, whereas preserved lemons made the traditional way can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator. I would assume it is because of the much higher amount of salt used in the traditional recipe as well as the method of leaving the lemons more whole and submerging them in salt and lemon juice.

P.S. I've checked at two Whole Foods now and have not been able to locate preserved lemons anywhere in the store - I've checked (and asked) by the olive bar, by the pickles, by the jams, and by the spices but to no avail.  Please leave a comment if anyone finds a source for these locally, would love to compare to homemade!

warm white bean salad with arugula pesto and preserved lemon

My family has grown quite significantly over the years, from five in my immediate family to now brother-in-laws as well as seven nieces and nephews between my two older sisters.  When I was in college and my sisters were newly married and later young mothers, we started doing a secret santa gift exchange to save money and unnecessary purchasing.  My cousin would draw names and email each of us the one (adult) person we were to buy a gift for, and over Thanksgiving when we were typically all able to get together we would go around in a circle and open them.  With just one person to focus on, it opened up a lot of time (and fun) to find the absolute perfect gift.  I still have the custom skull high top Converse sneakers with pink laces my brother-in-law got me.  After quite a few years of doing a secret santa, we all decided we missed a little the joy that comes from gifting to others, and decided to open up the possibilities a bit.  However, we didn't go back to buying gifts for everyone.  Instead, for Christmas as well as for birthdays, mothers day, fathers day, and the like, we would purchase if it was within our means and we happened across something perfect throughout the year, but no obligation.  So, a present might come on your birthday in August or a present might randomly show up in June when you were least expecting it.  Oh what more fun!  This is what happened a few months when a box was unexpectedly leaning up against my door upon arriving home.  I opened it to find a copy of "Dinner: Changing The Game" by Melissa Clark.  Had this been shipped to me by mistake?  No, the address is correct.  Is there a note inside?  Nope.  Hmmm.  One of my sisters had texted a few days prior to double check my address, so I texted her.  Bingo.  A good friend of hers had said the cookbook was amazing and had been getting rave reviews so she bought one for herself and for me.  How thoughtful.  And unexpected.  And something we can now share as sisters.  All Summer long, we've been communicating back and forth with which recipes we have tried, how they turned out, and what the next ones on our list are (she was surprised I listed the Warm Squid Salad, but I'm sticking to my guns!).

Melissa's goal with "Dinner" was to help us figure out what to make for dinner without falling back on what we've eaten before, to give choices and help expand the way we think about dinner so cooking it becomes "one of the most satisfying and loveliest moments of the day."  She provides a list of ingredients to keep on hand and the history and uses behind them in the front of the cookbook.  The list can seem a little daunting as they're not all your average pantry staples (sumac, kimchi, and thai red curry paste to name a few).  But, I poured over this cookbook for hours the first day totally immersed in how attainable Melissa made incorporating these ingredients into anyone's arsenal.

The first recipe I made from "Dinner" was the Warm White Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto and Preserved Lemon.  I was drawn to it because it seemed like a nice light salad for Summer, but also because it would teach me how to make a version of pesto, which I could translate later for many other dishes if it became part of my "arsenal."

Most of the ingredients I had on hand, and the others I quickly scooped up from the local supermarket...except for the preserved lemon, lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices.  I hunted all over the store to no avail.  Check back tomorrow for more info on how to make your own preserved lemon, in no time at all!

Total time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups arugula

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 1/2 tbsp chopped preserved lemon

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

3 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained

fresh lemon juice to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 to 3 tbsp thinly shaved shallot or red onion (optional)

Directions:

1) In a food processor or blender, combine 2 packed cups of the arugula with the almonds, cheese, preserved lemon, garlic, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Process or blend until everything is finely chopped.  With the motor running, blend in the 1/3 cup olive oil.  

2) Warm the beans in the microwave for about 1 minute, or in a small pot on the stovetop for about 2 to 3 minutes.  The beans should be warm to the touch, but not hot.

3) In a medium bowl, toss the arugula pesto with the warm beans, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

4) In a large bowl, toss the remaining arugula with lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  (If you're unsure, add the seasonings a little at a time, tasting as you go, until you like it.  Be generous with the black pepper.)  Arrange the arugula salad on a large platter, and spoon the beans on top.  Sprinkle the shaved shallots over the beans, and serve.