Recipe: gooey homemade ricotta from Pizzeria Libretto’s Rocco Agostino

PREP TIME: 5 minutes COOK TIME: 10 minutes Makes 1½ cups ricotta

FRESH RICOTTA

4 cups whole milk 1 cup 35 per cent cream ½ tsp salt 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Crusty bread Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Stir milk, cream and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Let stand, without stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes until mixture separates.

2. Line a colander with 5 layers of cheesecloth. Place lined colander over a bowl so excess liquid can drain. Pour mixture into lined colander and let stand for 1 hour. Transfer ricotta to a serving dish or container. If making ahead, ricotta will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days. Serve with crusty bread and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

TIP This ricotta tastes great with bomba, an Italian condiment. Make your own by mixing finely diced artichokes, olives and carrots with hot pepper paste.

ROCCO AGOSTINO PIZZERIA LIBRETTO Rocco Agostino sparked a Neapolitan pizza craze when, in 2009, he opened Pizzeria Libretto, an Ossington parlour churning out blistered, wood-fired thin-crust pies. Since then, his empire has expanded to include a second Libretto location on the Danforth and Enoteca Sociale, a rustic wine bar on Dundas West. This gooey ricotta embodies his easy, fresh Italian cooking. It’s excellent whether served on its own with crostini or as an add-on to pastas, pizzas and antipasti.

Recipes developed by Victoria Walsh. Recipe photography by Ryan Szulc. Portrait photography by Raina and Wilson. Illustrations by Aleksandar Janicijevic. Interviews by Denise Balkissoon, Ariel Brewster, Andrew D’Cruz, Jennifer Goldberg, Matthew Hague, Claire Hastings, Bronwen Jervis and Simone Olivero.