Italian Ricotta (Ricotta Salata): Casein-free cheese

As you may know, some doctors estimate that at least 50% of individuals with Celiac disease are also sensitive to the dairy protein called casein. The husband and I both fall into this category.

It's been almost 2 years since I went dairy free, and probably about a year for the husband. We are both feeling tremendously better, and I'm particularly happy for him. It was hard to watch him eat the same dinner as me, except with cheese, and then not feel well afterward.

The protein casein is included in all dairy products, or, as it turns out, almost all of them. I recently read The Gluten Free Homemaker's post on making ghee or clarified butter, which only contains butterfat and whey protein, and excludes the casein. I read other sources about ghee and would like to try it, but I still haven't yet. But, it got my wheels turning. Casein-free dairy products.

Then, I came across this section (and a few other bits) in On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee:

Subtract the four caseins from the milk proteins, and the remainder, numbering in the dozens, are the whey proteins. Where the caseins are mainly nutritive, supplying the amino acids and calcium for the calf, the whey proteins include defensive proteins, molecules that bind to and transport other nutrients, and enzymes. The most abundant one by far is lactoglobulin, whose biological function remains a mystery. It's a highly structured protein that is readily denatured by cooking. It unfolds at 172 degrees Fahrenheit, when its sulfur atoms are exposed to the surrounding liquid and react with the hydrogen ions to form hydrogen sulfide gas, whose powerful aroma contributes to the characteristic flavor of cooked milk (and many other animal foods).

In boiling milk, unfolded lactoglobulin binds not to itself but to the capping-casein on the casein micelles, which remain separate; so denatured lactoglobulin doesn't coagulate. When denatured in acid conditions with relatively little casein around, as in cheese whey, lactoglobulin molecules do bind to each other and coagulate into little clots, which can be made into whey cheese like true ricotta. Heat-denatured whey proteins are better than their native forms at stabilizing air bubbles in milk foams and ice crystals in ice creams; this is why milks and creams are usually cooked for these preparations. (page 21)

Hold on, there's a cheese that doesn't contain casein? I read several articles about how mozzarella is made from whole milk, and the whey is a byproduct of the mozzarella process. Then, the whey is used to make a traditional Italian ricotta.

It wasn't too many minutes after that when I pulled into the grocery store parking lot to see for myself. I was able to find some small blocks of it in the artisan cheese case, and this was the label on the package. I was also disappointed to see that the label printed by the grocery store (not shown) was completely wrong, but I trusted the added label (below) from the cheese maker.

'Made from 100% pasteurized sheep's milk whey, salt.'

I brought it home.

I sliced off a few bits and ate it. I wanted to give it a few hours before I told the husband that we were having some cheese with dinner. I felt the same after about 4 hours, so I took the next step.

It's a really dry cheese, with small bubbles and tunnels, and crumbly when you break it off. (This is NOT the same kind of ricotta that comes in a tub, similar to cottage cheese, that you would put in lasagna.) It doesn't really have any elasticity, the way you can waggle a string cheese around, or bend pieces of medium cheddar almost 90 degrees before it breaks.

So, does it melt? I put it on an end piece of Udi's bread and put it in the oven under the broiler. I ended up with a piece of blackened bread, and a slice of cheese that was only starting to look "warm." You know, how it gets soft around the edges. Well, it doesn't melt.

Like gluten, I think the protein casein provides the type of structure to foods that gives it some bend, and the ability to melt. Don't plan on melting the Italian ricotta.

But, I did really enjoy bits of Italian ricotta stuffed in some chipotle pork fajitas, crumbled over corn chips, or just a slice of it. It's cheese! And it's casein free!

Last Year: Chili Colorado Recipe

Two Years Ago: Orange Muffins with Fresh Cranberries and Southwestern Chicken Soup

Three Years Ago: Bullseye Barbecue Sauce