Category
Main Dish
Servings
10-12 medium mozzarella
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Mozzarella cheese is one of those products that cannot be missed in the fridge of foodie people.
In all countries I have lived in, I have found mozzarella in the supermarket, so I never bothered to learn how to prepare it, until I had to go live in Cuba. On this beautiful island, covered with extraordinary sandy beaches and blue sea, it is difficult if not impossible to find this delicious cheese. But, as everybody say in my small island, the need is the mother of ingenuity, so not having easy access to mozzarella, I had to learn to prepare it … a matter of necessity!
To find the product that most closely resembles the one produced on an industrial level, I tried many recipes, until finally I found one with which I feel quite comfortable with. As with all the recipes I prepare in my kitchen, this one carries my personal touch.
Although it may seem like a very complicated recipe to follow, it is not at all. Follow it the step by step to understand the directions much better.
Remember that there is no healthier food but the one you can prepare in your own kitchen, with the assurance of the quality of the products used and the certainty that there are no added chemical components that can affect your health and that of your family.
Ingredients
Directions
- With a thermometer, make sure that the milk is at a temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius.
In a half cup of cold water, dissolve 1 ½ tablespoons of citric acid. With the remaining half cup, dissolve ¼ teaspoon of rennet.
Put the milk in a thick bottom pot and add ¼ cup of natural yogurt. Mix well with a wooden spoon and add the water with the citric acid. Mix well. Immediately add the water with the milk rennet, mix well and cover. Let rest for about 5-10 minutes or until the milk become a curd, which is a kind of firm jelly.
Carefully cut the curd into squares of approximately 3 cm. Try to take the knife into the bottom of the pot. Gently stir with the foam to separate the squares of curd a little. You can find a video of this step on https://youtu.be/MAjtlSLhl70
Put the pot on the fire until it reaches the temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. Use the thermometer to measure it.
With the skimmer, take out the curd and put it to drain in a strainer. The liquid remaining into the pot is the milk whey.
Always using the thermometer, raise the heat to the remaining whey in the pot until it reaches 80 degrees Celsius. To avoid boiling, lower the heat to the minimum when reaching 80 degrees.
At this time, you will need to use the kitchen gloves. Cut the curd into 5 equal parts and, supporting yourself with the skimmer, immerse the first part in the hot whey for approximately 10 seconds. Take out and, with your hands, stretch and roll the cheese.
Repeat the process until you get a smooth dough.
Roll the cheese in itself for the last time and form the mozzarella balls by stretching the cheese between your thumb and index finger. You can find a video of this step on https://youtu.be/YNpOz7hKL-c
Place the cheese in a container with water and a little salt and let them rest for 30 minutes before eating. You can keep them in the fridge for about 5 days.
Tip.: Prepare with this homemade mozzarella a delicious Caprese Salad, slicing a fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves. Add olive oil, oregano and salt and enjoy.
* Whenever possible, use fresh buffalo milk, although you can also use fresh cow milk.
- Tags:
- cheese
- favorite
- healthy food
- milk
- mozzarella