Sheep Ricotta Cheese Pasta Recipe

How To Make Pasta with Ricotta Cheese from sheep milk food recipe –

Introduction

Did you know that Pasta is a delicious Italian cuisine that you can try with many different ingredients and options to change your menu up a little bit and add more diverse taste to your palette.

In this post we will show you a recipe on not just any pasta but on pasta with Ricotta cheese made with sheep milk. Ricotta cheese with sheep milk is an excellent alternative to conventional cheeses or even ricotta cheese made with cow milk. In comparison sheep milk is lower on fat and is much more tastier than cow milk. It is also higher on energy compared to cow or goat

milk. Not to mention it has double the protein and fats, vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc while being lower on sodium. In this post we will show you a delicious pasta recipe that is not only tasty and nutritious but fast to make for yourself and the family.

What is Ricotta cheese?

Ricotta in Italian means recooked and is a whey cheese.

Ricotta cheese is actually made from a byproduct of milk called whey. The way its made is by separating milk into 2 things; the curds and the whey that is left over. Its this precious whey with trace amounts of curds left behind that we use to make ricotta cheese. This whey is heated with whole milk and some citrus juice is added which will make the curds coagulate. They become bigger and more solid and are then strained to come up with the final product. This is the traditional way to make Ricotta cheese, of course there are other ways as well that we can discuss another time.

Ricotta cheese Sheep Milk food Recipe

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 pounds zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic

1-ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves

1-pound ziti or other dry pasta

8 ounces ricotta, about 1 cup

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

2 ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

1. Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, five to eight minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
2. Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.
3. Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
4. Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add ½ cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for one minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.

Tips-

A cold glass of long island iced tea would be a great option for beverage that would complement your pasta.

Remember food always tastes better when the whole family is around; so if they aren’t already there, invite them over.

Notes-

Inspiration taken from https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/a-summer-luxury-pasta-with-fresh-ricotta/.