Two Cheese Recipes You Can Try at Home

25 March 2008

giovanni - Yüksel Aziz

Greetings to Dear Guests and Friends of Giovanni,

I am Yuksel Aziz, Executive Chéf of the giovanni Italian Restaurant. Following my graduation from the Bulgarian Trade School for Public Nutrition, I trained in Food Technologies for four years. Currently at giovanni, my team and I are preparing for you the most delicious selection of dishes from the Italian cuisine. At giovanni, our mission is to create real culinary value for you, our guests, by serving you 34 types of pizzas using distinct ingredients, pastas with generous amount of sauces, fresh salads, as well as meat dishes with recipes you won't find anywhere else, and to prepare these dishes without ever sacrificing on quality.

Before commencing to set up a joyous table from Italy, the land of the sun, we need to acknowledge this country's unique qualities. People living in the southern regions of Italy are known for enjoying life, and they seek to maximize their enjoyment. When this is the case, it is normal for such people to indulge in the culinary arts. Most of the region's population are good cooks, and one of the best ways they spend their time is dining with family members. In any restaurant you visit, you are bound to find at least two tables of large families dining, and the restaurants are always filled to capacity during mealtimes.

Another tradition in the southern regions of Italy is the "trattoria", or the family-operated restaurant. If you are interested in studying the region's cuisine, you must start with these establishments.

Pastas, pizzas and risotto are the essential dishes that come to mind when Italian cuisine is mentioned. As for the ingredients, mozzarella, prosciutto and breasola first cross the mind. In general, the Italian cuisine is not carnivorous.

The few meats and meat products used require absolute quality and plenty of labor. Prosciutto and breasola take their place in the category of processed meats.

We may observe certain differences between the southern Italian cuisine and the northern Italian cuisine. In southern Italy, tomato sauces and dishes containing tomatoes (especially pastas) are popular. Fruits and citrus are used abundantly in this cuisine. While garlic is used in the cuisines of both regions, its consumption is somewhat limited in northern Italy. Another difference is observed in the meats used. The northern Italian cuisine primarily makes use of veal, while the southern Italian cuisine uses chevon (goat meat). Napoli (Naples) brings to mind perfectly prepared pizzas. In fact, the delicious taste of giovanni's pizzas originates from a family restaurant that has been in operation in Torino for 100 years, run by a family from Napoli. You must sample our pizzas that have thin crusts but crisp and puffy edges, to appreciate their taste; these are identical to the same pizzas I learned to bake in Italy where I have travelled for training. I personally select all the ingredients that go into our pizzas. They are prepared using low-yeast dough, light ingredients, no spices, olive oil, special mozzarella cheese, and Italian tomatoes. While the pizza contains flour, giovanni pizzas are light (if you are paying attention to your diet) as well as being easy to digest.

Two Cheese Recipes You Can Try at Home

This month I have two cheese recipes for you, commonly used as part of the Italian cuisine: Ricotta and Mascarpone. giovanni - Ricotta

Ricotta

Generally used in pasta containing fillings, this cheese is actually very easy to prepare.

Ricotta

1 litre whole fat water buffalo milk
5 gr salt
10 gr sugar
30 cl white wine vinegar
cheesecloth for straining

Add salt and sugar to the whole fat water buffalo milk, and heat to 50 degrees Celcius. Add in white wine vinegar. You will observe that the milk will immediately curdle. Pour and press the curdled milk through the cheesecloth to separate the liquid. Tie up the cloth and shape the contents inside, and let sit for a minimum of 7 hours. giovanni - mascarpone

Mascarpone

Used primarily in desserts, this cheese needs to be consumed fresh. It is a recipe that is perfect for tiramisu and cheesecake.

0.5 litre water buffalo milk
0.5 litre cream or kaymak (traditional Turkish cream)
60 gr confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
30 gr corn starch
20 cl white wine
cheesecloth for straining

Heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan to 60 degrees Celcius, then add the sugar and the starch. Wait for 5 minutes, then add the white wine. Pour and strain the curdled milk through the cheesecloth, tie the cloth and let it air out for 1 day by hanging in a well-ventilated environment.

These cheeses are ones that you can easily prepare yourself at home.

With best wishes,

Yuksel Aziz, Executive Chéf

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