Homemade primo sale with vegetable rennet is easier than you think and you can even make it with fresh milk from the supermarket. And then, with the leftover whey, you can make delicious ricotta.
You’ll need whole fresh milk, not semi-skimmed, from the refrigerated section at the supermarket, then a plant-based coagulant available at the pharmacy, a food thermometer, a perforated mould of 6 inches in diameter and 3 inches high.
With 4 liters of milk and a few steps, you’ll get a 1.5 lb cheese that isn’t bad to enjoy a delicious homemade fresh cheese in just 2 hours. Furthermore, you can enrich it with your favorite ingredients: arugula, chives, olives, walnuts, chili pepper, and it will be a guaranteed success.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: a 1.5 lb wheel of cheese
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 quarts whole fresh milk (from the refrigerated section)
- 4 teaspoons vegetable rennet (from Rappelli)
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
Steps
For every liter of milk, corresponds to 1 teaspoon of vegetable rennet and a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt (according to your taste).
Pour the milk into a large pot, which must be either steel or copper, and heat it on low flame until it reaches a temperature between 98-100°F. Measure with an immersion food thermometer.
Meanwhile, put the vegetable rennet in a small glass and dilute it with 2/3 cup of water. Calculate 1 teaspoon of rennet for each liter of milk if you want to make a larger or smaller batch.
Turn off the heat, stir the milk with a wooden spoon, and while stirring, add the rennet into the vortex. Stop the circular motion by stirring in the opposite direction and stop immediately.
Put the lid on the pot and let it rest in a warm environment, without moving it, for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, the cheese magic is done. The curd is ready and you will see a pudding-like mass in the pot that slightly sinks in the whey (yellowish liquid).
With a long knife, cut it into large cubes reaching the bottom of the pot.
Put the lid back on and let the curd rest for another 10 minutes.
After the time has passed, break the curd into smaller pieces like peanuts using a pastry whisk.
At this point, you can decide to keep the primo sale natural and simple or, besides salt, add the ingredients you desire to enrich your fresh cheese.
For example: a handful of coarsely chopped fresh arugula, finely sliced chives, some chopped walnut kernels, green olives, fresh chili pepper, truffle, or dried porcini mushrooms.
Add the fine salt and mix gently. In this case, I also added 2 tablespoons of finely sliced chives.
Let it season for 2 minutes, then with a slotted spoon or skimmer, remove the curd and transfer it into a mould 6 inches in diameter and 3 inches high.
You can place the mould inside the kitchen sink or in a large bowl, to drain the excess whey.
With your hands, press the cheese into the mould, place a small plate and a weight on top to help drain the whey and compact the cheese well.
Let the whey drain from the cheese for about 2 hours.
In the meantime, strain the whey you set aside and make ricotta or preserve it.
You’ll get about 2 1/2 quarts of whey and you can immediately make delicious ricotta by adding 1 quart of milk (see the ricotta recipe).
If you want to keep it for other uses, drinks, in smoothies, or instead of water or milk in bread or pastry dough, pour it into the same milk bottles, close tightly, and store in the fridge for 8 days.
After 2 hours, the whey will be almost entirely drained, and the cheese will be quite compact. Flip the cheese inside the mould, sprinkle with fine salt on the surface, and place it in the refrigerator.
After 12 hours, it will be dry, flip it out of the mould, salt the other side, and store it in the fridge for 4/5 days. It’s excellent, flavorful, and it will be satisfying to have made it at home with your own hands.
