Make Your Ricotta Smoky And Complex With A Quick Cooking Tip

A grill is worth investing in because it imparts a smoky flavor that most other cooking appliances and methods can't achieve. While cooking meat is the most common use for a grill, ricotta is the ingredient you should throw on next. If you're wondering how to cook a creamy, soft cheese on the grill, there's a quick and easy cooking tip to follow.

All you need is a cast iron skillet and a grill to smoke ricotta cheese. Whether you're using a simple pit grill or a gas fired grill, both charcoal and wood chips are equally adequate for smoking ricotta. You'll heat up the charcoal or wood, bringing the grill to medium heat before adding the ricotta. Then, simply spoon your favorite ricotta cheese like this Galbani whole milk ricotta into a cast iron skillet, cover it with a top — or tin foil if you don't have one that fits — and place it on the hot grill grates. Be sure not to place the skillet directly over the coals so as not to burn the cheese. Close the lid of your grill to smoke the cheese for around eight to 10 minutes. A browned crust should form which you can stir back into the cheese right before serving.

Ricotta is creamy and decadent with a versatile flavor that we usually embellish with seasonings or incorporate into elaborate recipes. Smoking ricotta adds all the depth of flavor needed to make it a standalone dish.

If you don't have a grill, you can make a DIY stovetop smoker by placing wood chips and whole spices in a foil-lined wok, top it with a circular baking rack, and pack with cubes of ice. You can then place a drained and pressed ricotta cheese mound in a metal steamer like this one before placing it atop the baking rack and heating the wok over medium heat. The wood chips and ice will create a smoky, steamy environment that you'll trap by placing a covering over the wok. This method will take twice as long as the grill, but it's a great customizable alternative.

Smoked ricotta is an upgrade to most savory ricotta recipes. You can use it as a filling for these egg yolk and ricotta filled raviolis. Smoked ricotta would complement spicy Italian sausage in this white lasagna with sausage and ricotta. Of course, since you're using the grill to smoke it, you can accompany smoked ricotta with other grilled or smoked ingredients. Spread smoked ricotta over thick slices of grilled bread as we do in this recipe for Indigenous-inspired 3 sisters whipped ricotta toast. Make smoked ricotta the centerpiece of a grilled vegetable platter with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and bell peppers. Enjoy smoked ricotta on a charcuterie board with cured meat or smoked fish to spread over crunchy crostini with tomato jam.