Why is it so hard to find ricotta salata these days? This salted and pressed Italian sheep cheese used to be more present, and I almost always had some on hand for shaving into salads—especially spring salads with fava beans, asparagus or beets. It’s a must for pasta alla Norma but I grate it on pasta sauced every which way. It’s moister than pecorino romano so it makes the dish creamier. Now it is scarcer than it should be, given that it’s neither costly nor rare. I suspect retailers don’t appreciate its brief lifespan and end up throwing away a lot. (I have some thoughts about that.) The last time I asked for ricotta salata at a cheese counter, the clerk recommended mizithra instead. A helpful suggestion, but how similar are they?
Country of origin
Ricotta salata is a specialty of southern Italy, especially Puglia, although it’s now made all over Italy. Mizithra (or myzithra) is Greek and associated primarily with Crete, although it’s produced throughout the country.
What it is
The two recipes are largely alike. You start with whey left over from making a hard cheese. You add milk, heat it and soft curds float to the top. That’s ricotta. Then you drain, press, salt and age the ricotta until it’s firm enough to grate. Most of the ricotta salata and mizithra I find is made from sheep’s milk (or, more rarely, water buffalo milk) but creameries use all milk types. The typical format for ricotta salata is a small log or cone; a whole mizithra resembles a misshapen ball.
How it tastes
In my experience, ricotta salata is moister, less salty and less sharp than mizithra. You can shave it with a cheese plane and the slices don’t crumble. Mizithra is stronger in flavor, more peppery and too dry to shave. For shaving, Greek manouri is a better choice than mizithra. As a grating cheese for pasta, mizithra works, adding a sheepy, salty, slightly sourish flavor. Fun fact: Spaghetti with mizithra and browned butter is the most popular dish on the menu at Old Spaghetti Factory. But at my house, mizithra is rarely the top choice.
Retailers, please give us more ricotta salata. We pledge to use it more often, grated and shaved. We’ll store it wrapped in wax paper in a sealed container, and if it gets a little surface mold, we won’t freak out and complain to you. We’ll just scrape off the mold and carry on.
Below, a favorite spring recipe and more ideas for using ricotta salata when you encounter it.
Rick Lafranchi
In Memoriam
With deep sadness, I share news of the sudden passing of Rick Lafranchi. One of the kindest people in the cheese business, Rick was co-owner of California’s Nicasio Valley Cheese, a family business. With his cheesemaker brother, Scott, Rick introduced several farmstead cheeses, inspired by the family’s Italian-Swiss heritage, that have become cheese counter staples: Formagella, Tomino, Foggy Morning, San Geronimo. I’m glad he lived to see Nicasio Square take a blue-ribbon at last summer’s American Cheese Society awards. Rick was a greatly admired industry leader, a gentle soul who always had time for my questions and said yes to every request. He leaves a big hole in our American cheese family.
Golden Beet, Fennel and Avocado Salad with Ricotta Salata
Adapted from San Francisco: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World by Janet Fletcher (Oxmoor House).
8 medium beets, preferably golden or Chioggia beets
Lemon vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup finely minced shallot
Kosher or sea salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Vietnamese fish sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, stalks removed, halved
Ricotta salata cheese
1 large avocado
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the beet greens, if attached, leaving 1 inch of stem to avoid piercing the skin. Save the greens for another use. Put the beets in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water. Cover and bake until a knife pierces them easily, about 1 hour. Peel when cool enough to handle, then set aside to cool completely.
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, shallot and a generous pinch of salt. Let stand 30 minutes to allow the shallot flavor to mellow. Whisk in the olive oil and fish sauce. Season with pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Slice the beets very thinly by hand. Put them in a bowl and toss them gently with about one-third of the dressing, taking care not to break up the slices. Make a bed of the beets on a large platter.
With a mandoline or V-slicer, slice the fennel paper thin. Put the fennel in a bowl and dress with about one-half of the remaining dressing, then scatter the fennel over the beets.
With a vegetable peeler or cheese plane, shave ricotta salata over the fennel, using as much as you like. I use about 3 ounces.
With a large metal spoon, scoop the flesh of the avocado half from the peel in one piece. Put the avocado half cut side down on a work surface and slice thinly crosswise. Arrange the avocado slices attractively on top of the salad. Drizzle with as much of the remaining dressing as desired (you may not need it all), then top with the minced parsley. Serve immediately.
Serves 8