One of our most popular items at picnic is our housemade lasagne. Like everything else we do here, we try to make as much of what goes into our food ourselves. Our lasagne is no exception to this mantra. We make our own pasta, our own ragu, and our own ricotta cheese. Kneading the pasta by hand ensures that the cooked noodle will have a pleasing bite or chew to it. The ragu bolognese is lovingly made very slowly with great care (and plenty of white wine). And, last but not least, we make the fresh ricotta cheese that reinforces the lactic notes from the ragu as well as providing another opportunity to pack the lasagne with flavor. By adding a few items to the cheese - eggs, herbs, and a handful of assiago cheese we take the somewhat mellow flavored ricotta to new levels. In the end, the lasagne becomes something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

"Ricotta" means re-cooked in Italian and is surprisingly easy to make yourself. The end result is truly superior to the tubs of ricotta that you see at your local supermarket. Usually ricotta is made from the whey that results from another cheese-making process. Our version uses two common ingredients: fresh whole milk and buttermilk. Heated together the acids in the buttermilk cause the milk solids to coagulate and separate from they watery whey. In fact, most acidic liquids will have a similar effect. Try the recipe with lemon juice sometime (for 8 cups whole milk use 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice).

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients:

8 cups whole milk

2 cups buttermilk

Equipment:

Candy or probe thermometer
Cheesecloth lined-colander or chinois
Large pot

Combine the milk and the buttermilk in a pot and place over high heat. Whisk or stir occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. Use a candy thermometer or probe thermometer to monitor the temperature of the mixture. As you approach 180F you will see the milk solids gathering together into bright white curds and the milky whey separating itself out. At 180F remove the pan from the heat. Gently ladle the curds into a very fine mesh strainer (we use a chinois at picnic) set inside a larger container or pot. Alternatively, a colander lined with cheesecloth works very well. Allow the remaining liquid to drain away and your done. Well done! You've just made ricotta cheese.

Ricotta is best used immediately, but if you have to store it for a few days be sure to wrap it well as it easily picks up other aromas from other food items in the fridge. Ricotta can also be frozen.

Makes 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese.