Added: 08/28/2005 |
The most well-known mozzarella recipesIt is very hard to cook fresh mozzarella. Here is the recipe for homemade mozarella cheese. You will need the following materials: nonaluminum pot that will hold a gallon of milk, measuring cup or bowl to dissolve the rennet, spoon, candy thermometer and large slotted spoon. Or it may be substituted by a small sieve. For the cheese itself are needed: 1/2 rennet tablet, 1/4 cup cool, chlorine-free water. Better if it would be bottled, because most bottled waters are chlorine-free. Certainly you will need milk. This recipe requires 1 gallon 2%, 1%, or skimmed milk and 2 teaspoons citric acid.
First, work with the rennet. Crush it into the water and stir to dissolve. Then, pour milk into a nonreactive pot. Use no aluminum or cast iron. The heat should be medium. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. When you heat milk to 88 degrees, it will begin to curdle. Now add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees. Turn off the heat. As a result you'll see large curds that will appear and begin to separate from the whey. The whey is the clear, greenish liquid. With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass bowl.
Set for a few more minutes, until it became not liquid. Carefully press the curds with your hand and gently pour off as much whey as possible. Put curds into microwave on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey. Using a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool. Put them into the microwave two more times. Each time for 35 seconds.
Continue to drain the whey and work cheese into a ball. In the meantime, place the whey over medium heat and let it heat to about 175 degrees. Wait until cheese become cool enough to touch and knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. The cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny if you sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into it while kneading it. In some cases the cheese may be difficult to stretch and breaks easily. To improve the matters dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds to make it warm and pliable.
Then pick it up again and stretch it into a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Repeat this operation as many times as needed to make the cheese pliable. After a few minutes the cheese is ready to eat.
To make the cheese more attractive shape it into a log or golf-size balls. Note that fresh mozzarella should be stored in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water. Fresh mozzarella is wonderful itself. However, there is plenty of mozzarella recipes in which you may use the cheese you've made.
One of the most fabulous mozzarela recipes is mozzarella tomato salad. It has several variations, but generally it is pretty easy to cook.
Except small ball mozzarella you will need only 2 medium to small vine-ripened tomatoes, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons chiffonade basil.
Tomatoes and pre-drained cheese should be sliced into 1/4 inch thickness and arranged so they over lap each other. Then, add some salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Use basil to top the salad. This mozzarella tomato salad is served in most Italian restaurants. It is rather popular traditional dish.
Another famous dish is balsamico sauce. It is made from balsamic vinegar and served mainly with fish and seafood. In fact, balsamic vinegar is used in most mozzarella recipes. This is an ingredient which contrasts with mozzarella cheese flavour and makes it more delicious. True balsamic vinegar is made from concentrated juice from the Trebbiano white grape.
The bottle of authentic balsamic vinegar always has mark Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale on it. If you don't see this mark, the bottle most likely contains red wine vinegar fortified with grape juice, caramelized sugar, and sometimes even artificial flavoring and coloring.
Most true balsamic vinegars widely available in the supermarkets are aged 4 to 12 years. Among all there is one special variety of balsamic vinegar. It is called Extra Vecchio Balsamico. This is true balsamic vinegar that has matured in wooden casks for at least 30 and as many as 100+ years. The flavour of this vinegar is much richer than even true balsamic vinegar. No wonder it costs thousands per small flask. It is not necessary to buy Extra Vecchio Balsamico. You can mimicking a sweet tang and thicker consistency of true Extra Vecchio Balsamico by creating a balsamic glaze and use it in some of mozzarella recipes. Well, now you have an opportunity to enjoy genuine Italian dishes made with your own hands.
Since pizza became trivial, start with mozzarella recipes.
Article comments:
No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!
