(map) cont’d from here…
On Sunday, Gianna’s hour with her hands in the whey was almost up when I joined her in the kitchen. The espresso pot with coffee in it, a fresh coffee cake and her homemade cherry jam awaited me on the table. A pasta sauce of goat’s meat and rabbit in white wine were simmering on the stove while rosemary-rubbed lamb roasted in the oven, surrounded by potatoes cooking in the savory juices. It would be yet another “light lunch” at Casa Passerini! I stirred the pasta sauce for Gianna as she told me about the cheese-making, explaining that the heat of the day alters the milk, if imperceptibly. “Animals are stressed by heat as we are – and it takes experience to know how much rennet is needed that day for the cheese”. They have a thermometer to know when the milk reaches the necessary 37°C but Gianna never uses it, saying that her finger is the best thermometer. Marcello’s hands are warmer, Giulia’s even warmer, she says, so they perceive different amounts of heat.
As she squeezed the cheese round to form it, Gianna said, “Marcello does not have the patience I have,” she said, “to stand here, to firmly hold the cheese. He wants it all to happen sooner.” Then she gently lifted the beautifully-rounded form from the whey into the plastic basket where it would drain, as tenderly as a new mother lifting an infant from the bath. I was moved.
The ricotta-making was the last step: Gianna heated the saucepan of whey a second time (ri-cotta) until the curds came floating to the top, scooping the curds out with a perforated ladle. Goat’s milk is far less fatty than sheep’s milk or cow’s milk (“anyone with high cholesterol should drink it”, advises Gianna) and the ricotta yield is therefore far less: just a couple cups from the eight litres of milk.
Gianna put the ricotta in the fridge and tenderly held the cheese for a moment in her hands, sighing, “…that human hands can make such a wonder, straordinario.”
*To read more on the Mugello and on the Manettis, their Casa Passerini and its history.
Benissimo! One of our favorite memories (in Sicily though, not Umbria) was of eating freshly made, warm ricotta at a Masseria – in a bowl with crusty bread. Incredibile!
Thank you for another wonderful arm chair visit to fabulous Italy..
Going on this “journey” with you has been just delightful. Thanks for sharing it. I can feel the sun and tast the food…almost!
Thanks for sharing with us. It reminded me of many fine trips throughout Italy over the past 20 years.
I am curious to know if this cheese is what is referred to as ‘basket cheese’? That is one of my favorite, but not always available. And it must be kept cool as it can turn sour assuming that it hasn’t been eaten. Even if this is not the same cheese, it sounds delicious. And one hour doesn’t seem too long for something that good.
As usual, Anne always makes me feel as though I am there and wishing I could help with the chores AND the cooking! Thank you for sharing.
Anne: you are indeed a poet; your words & descriptions transport one immediately. Thank YOU. Our memories of Italy warm us and infuse hope that we may return soon. Your articles increase our desire.
Anne is a marvel – I just heard her speak in Denver, CO and was so impressed I just had to come and read everything she has written for Italian Notebook. So interesting to hear her talk so lovingly about her experiences and I so respect her emphasis on the people and food of the region. I am a Mugello person myself and love how she graciously extends her expertise into other regions of Italy as well as Umbria. Thank you Anne and thank you Italian Notebook!