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Fresh made Goat Milk Ricotta with ruby beets and pistachios
A little disclosure is that I would really love to learn how to make cheese. It’s probably the mad scientist in me, but there is something about the alchemy of it all that is just fascinating. My friend Cathy Wheelbarrow-you may know her as Mrs. Wheelbarrow– taught just such a class this past weekend in DC. Together this class made all of my favorites: Ricotta, creme fraiche, fresh chèvre and fresh mozzarella. Though aged cheeses are intriguing, a girl could keep herself pretty busy with these.
It’s no secret by now I can get into making ricotta at home. It’s pretty simple and I find it so remarkably rewarding. Though this past week I found myself wondering how goat milk ricotta would taste. Would the tang play though, or does it need aging?
This brought back to mind a trip that my family took one wintery weekend when I was a kid of about 9 or so. Some friends of the family had chosen to escape the corporate rat race and bought a goat farm up in Rheinbeck, New York. They lived in a rickety, drafty, old house warmed by wood stoves that was back into the woods down a winding country road. It was all so beautiful except for the frosty air that hit us when we climbed out from under piles of quilts the next morning. Shivering at the breakfast table all bleary eyed, we were given mugs of hot chocolate. In my house such things were for holidays and rarest of occasions, so this was a delight- until I took a sip. The taste was tart and sour and animal. Oh what a blow to my little girl expectations! When I pushed it away my Mother, in a sing songy voice said, “It’s fiiiiine, just go ahead and drink it petunia”- only later confessing it was made with milk from their goats.
So armed with this memory I decided to give it a try- and it turned out remarkably well. A little bit milder than I would have imagined, which turned out to be an asset. The result was a more delicate taste and an overall sense of lightness. The goat milk I had purchased from Whole Foods which came pasteurized and boxed. The next time I might venture down to the farmer’s market and try some fresh milk and compare the difference.
 Fresh Goat Milk Ricotta and Ruby Beet Salad
1 qt goat milk
generous pinch of salt
2T fresh lemon juice
cheese cloth or a fine meshed strainer
roasted ruby beets, peeled
grated orange zest
fruity olive oil
chopped pistachios
S & P
Place the goat milk and salt in a heavy saucepan and gently bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and stir in the lemon juice. The curds will immediately begin to separate from the whey.
Gently simmer the ricotta for about 2 minutes, then strain though some cheese cloth or a fine meshed strainer. I have a yogurt strainer that I found somewhere that works like a charm. The whey is rich in nutrients and great tossed into a soup, if you’re compelled to do such things.
The longer the curds sit the dryer they will be, so you should go by personal preference on this. I let mine sit for about 3 minutes before transferring it into a container to store.
Let the curds come to room temperature on the counter and then store in the fridge.
Use within the week.
The Ruby Beet salad is a simple combination of all the above listed ingredients. Drizzle the olive oil over with a nice pinch of coarse salt and a generous grind of black pepper.
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gluten free
Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Seeds
Happy First Day of Spring!! So you’re probably wondering why I made butternut squash- such a Fall/Wintery thing, to eat on what has turned out to be one of the most beautiful days yet. Well I guess because I never felt that Winter really arrived and I still had time to get around to making some nutty squash. When I saw the calendar this morning I said, Wait! Wait! *sigh*
I’ve been having a hankering for squash the last week or so and just hadn’t gotten to it. Until now. So there.
But here is my spin- remember back in January when you sternly looked yourself in the mirror and said- Yes! This year I am going to eat healthier and lose a few? Well, consider this a new first, and this dish is a fantastic place to start.
I diced up a half a squash (loving that they sell them peeled and in halves around here) and gave it a quick, high heat sauté with a nice hunk of garlic and then tossed it all with some pepitas and black sesame seeds.
I’ve got a little trick for making the cubes tender without the mush. I first put a nice sear on the squash and then right into the pan tossed in a few tablespoons of water and covered the pan with a lid. The steam cooked the squash through and brought out the nutty buttery taste. After the water evaporated just another minute directly on the heat and I was good to go.
Originally I made a thyme balsamic molasses to go with it, but really just liked the straightforward earthy taste of the squash.
Serve this dish warm over tender Bibb lettuce leaves and enjoy, and be content that you’ve done yourself some good.
Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Seeds
serves 4 as a main salad or 6-8 as a side dish
.5 med/large butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2T olive oil
1T black sesame seeds
small handful of pepitas, roasted and unsalted
S & P
Whole Bibb lettuce leaves from 1 head, cleaned and dried
In large frying pan heat oil on medium high.
Add garlic and sautee for 2 minutes to release the flavor into the oil. Take care not to burn or brown the garlic.
Toss in the squash and stir to coat with oil and garlic. Then let it sit for 2-3 mins to get a sear on the cubes.
Toss and let cook another 2-3 mins as before.
Add 2T of water into pan and cover with lid. It will sputter and steam, which is what you want.
After about a minute remove lid and allow any remaining water to cook off. Then gently toss the squash for a few more seconds before serving.
Spoon warm squash over the lettuce leaves and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and pepitas.
Season to taste with S & P
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2T olive oil
1T black sesame seeds
small handful of pepitas, roasted and unsalted
S & P
Whole Bibb lettuce leaves from 1 head, cleaned and dried
In large frying pan heat oil on medium high.
Add garlic and sautee for 2 minutes to release the flavor into the oil. Take care not to burn or brown the garlic.
Toss in the squash and stir to coat with oil and garlic. Then let it sit for 2-3 mins to get a sear on the cubes.
Toss and let cook another 2-3 mins as before.
Add 2T of water into pan and cover with lid. It will sputter and steam, which is what you want.
After about a minute remove lid and allow any remaining water to cook off. Then gently toss the squash for a few more seconds before serving.
Spoon warm squash over the lettuce leaves and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and pepitas.
Season to taste with S & P
Grilled Smokey Chicken with Rustic Roasted Tomato Sauce
You take a handful of tomatoes and slow roast them, toss in some garlic and oil and a little magic happens. Gotta say this is my favorite way to cook- something so easy with simplistic dynamic flavor.
The idea came to me by way of the bowl of tomatoes sitting on my counter, patiently waiting, but also insistent in their silent plea to be turned into something lovely.
So into a pan they went, popping them into a warm oven and about 30 mins later, they were ready to go. The best thing about this sauce is it’s also great on bruscetta with some milky fresh mozzarella or even over a bowl of fresh made pasta. A simple toss and that’s all it takes. I had made a small batch of this sauce, I wish I had made a mountain of it.
The chicken I sprinkled with some smokey paprika, some garlic and salt and threw it on a grill pan, with the asparagus grilling at the other end. If you don’t have a grill pan I highly recommend one. I use mine so often it sits permanently on the stove top.
Charring the asparagus adds a great dimension and I love that this meal all happens in one pan. A smart simple, heart healthy, weekday meal. The next time I’ll invite someone over…
Slow Roasted Rustic Tomato Sauce
makes about a cup
2 fistfuls of vine tomatoes- or really any tomato you have about
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
4T olive oil
S & P
In a roasting pan, toss in the tomatoes and roast until shriveled, but not dried out. My batch took approximately 30 mins in a 350˚ oven.
Using your hands take each tomato and squeeze out most of the tomato water- you can reserve this for something else, it’s good stuff.
Place the tomato pulp into a food processor- I used the small unit that came with my hand blender-toss in the garlic and oil and give it a quick rough whizz. I like mine just a little on the rustic chunky side.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
Let this rest for a bit, oh say 30 mins or so, for the garlic to infuse into the sauce. If you’re so inclined you can toss in basil or oregano into the mix- I happen to like the simplicity here.
The sauce can be made a day or few in advance and kept in the fridge. Gently warm to serve.