Gourmet Italian

photo credit: cursedthing

If you are looking to add some Italian cookies to your lineup this Christmas, why not try these heavenly Rocotta cheese cookies.  Did you know that ricotta is not really a true cheese?  It is actually  a by-product of the cheese making process.  The watery leftover liquid from the making of another cheese is called the whey.  Ricotta actually means “cooked again”.  When the whey is recooked, the final product is ricotta cheese.  Italian ricotta is made from the milk of many different animals, but the American version is almost always made from the milk of a cow.  Italian versions tend to have a nutty, sweet flavor and are more dry than American ricottas.  In Italy, you can also purchase a salty or a smoky version, as well.

photo credit: stu_spivack

Gourmet Italian chefs use a tremendous number of tasty cheese in almost every course they serve.  Cave paintings tell us that people have been making cheese since about 5000 B.C..  Since ancient sheep, cows and goats only gave milk part of the year – right after they giving birth each Spring – by the middle of Summer their milk had all dried up.  In order to preserve this milk so that they could eat it in the fall and winter, too – they made it into cheese.