And I use this: Ricotta Forte

I found some of this at Caputo's today (that's ricotta forte). Any ideas?

Vital Information wrote:I found some of this at Caputo's today (that's ricotta forte). Any ideas?

Is different than regular ricotta. Older? Drier? Denser?

It looks like cream cheese a bit, but I have not even opened the container yet.

Well, that's the first question-- in which way is it forte? Taste? Tensile strength?

Ricotta forte is usually used with pasta to replace grated cheese, traditionally in winter; orecchiette with tomato sauce and ricotta forte is a classic of the cuisine of Lecce. The closes one gets to using it pure is spread on bread... a bit like marmite. I've been using it to give pasta with vegetables a more exciting twist, penne with confit peppers, herbs and ricotta forte has been a real surprise. Stinky? Who said stinky?

As Barbarella says, ricotta forte is very popular in Lecce but also more broadly in Puglia; elsewhere in Italy, it is not much used, though in some areas there are somewhat analogous cheeses. In my family, from Lazio and Campania, it is not used but I became familiar with it many years ago, when living in Belgium, where the influence in the Italian community of recent immigrants from Puglia is strong. I've been using it regularly now for more than twenty years.

Ricotta forte is an aged form of sheeps milk ricotta and at its best is both piquant and fairly sweet. As Barbarella said, one can enjoy it smeared on some bread but the most classic application is to put a dollop on a dish of pasta.

I actually composed a long post about ricotta forte some time back but regrettably didn't get around to publishing it. Be that as it may, here is one of the pictures from that post:



In this case, we were eating the form of maccheroni we call paccheri, dressed with a very simple tomato sauce. The heat of the pasta and sauce melts the ricotta forte and creates an intense dressing for the pasta.

Antonius

I just had a taste of this stuff and it is intense: thicker than regular ricotta with roquefort-like tang.

I suppose you could smear some on bread, but that would be one mouth-numbing cheese sandwich. A dollop on pasta (as in the picture) could be quite pleasant.

Basically, this stuff needs some serious mediating elements to tone down its impact. I had less than a half-teaspoon and I was still tasting it ten minutes later (not that this is a bad thing, but it seems like it could easily overwhelm).

Hammond

Its intensity and complexity are its charms. Though I do not use it habitually, I do use it regularly and so I always have it on hand and have done so for many, many years now.

Antonius

Hey guys, belated thanks for the replies.

Hammond can attest, we had serious concerns whether the stuff was good (i.e., fresh), like how can you tell?

Vital Information wrote:Hey guys, belated thanks for the replies.

Hammond can attest, we had serious concerns whether the stuff was good (i.e., fresh), like how can you tell?

If you like the flavour, it's good. It has a high fat content and stored in the fridge it lasts a long time. Of course, it continues to develop and change a bit over time, in a direction that most Mericani probably aren't so keen on.

Antonius

...and if it is slimy and has an off-odour...then you probably don't want to eat it.

But the salt content is high enough that it shouldn't be developing too much unwelcome visitors...maybe the worst thing can happen is that it may pick up refrigerator smells. And perhaps a dot of blue or yellow mold, which you can easily scrape off (1/2 inch).

Queijo wrote:...and if it is slimy and has an off-odour...then you probably don't want to eat it.

But the salt content is high enough that it shouldn't be developing too much unwelcome visitors...maybe the worst thing can happen is that it may pick up refrigerator smells. And perhaps a dot of blue or yellow mold, which you can easily scrape off (1/2 inch).

Q,

I've never had it go bad... even containers that got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten, replaced with new batches, have been rediscovered and found to be quite delicious... Of course, that is not at all to say it can't go bad, but in a good, tightly closed container in the fridge, it remains edible and (gains in intensity) for a long time.

A

What is the difference between this and ricotta salata (or are they the same thing?).

Thanks in advance.

sundevilpeg wrote:What is the difference between this and ricotta salata (or are they the same thing?).

Thanks in advance.

They are not the same thing at all, though they are closely related. Ricotta salata is dried ricotta used most typically for grating over pasta; the prominent qualities are its sheepy-ness and its saltiness. Ricotta forte is fermented and has the texture of a hard paste which becomes creamy when heated; sheepy-ness is present but part of a more complex flavour profile, which includes sweetness and funkiness. Its typical use can be seen in the picture I posted above.

Antonius