Smoked Sheep Ricotta 400g

Great ricotta used to only be available in Italy. In fact, tasting fresh ricottas when in Sienna or Tuscany was bittersweet, because you knew that what you could get at home would only pale in comparison. Those vibrant flavours and textures were only available as long as you stood on foreign soil.

Now there are many different types of ricotta, but our favourite is Smoked Ricotta. It is made from the milk of sheep that graze the Sardinian hills. This ricotta is a firmer style because it is aged just beyond 60 days.

Like most professional cheese makers it is made with the whey remaining after they make their pecorinos. Then before they leave the ricotta to mature for two to three months, they smoke it.

Now, before you wrinkle your nose remembering the smoked supermarket cheeses of yesterday and write off this cheese, consider that smoking cheese is an ancient practice that extends its life and one that is deeply rooted in tradition. Unlike some supermarket cheeses that have been doused with artificial smoke flavouring, this cheese has been cold-smoked over juniper wood. The gentle smoking lets the ricotta delicate woodsy flavours mingle expertly with its sheepy, nutty flavours and making a sliceable texture.

Take a look at some of our recipes using smoked ricotta