Cottage Cheese

I have hesitated to post the recipe for cottage cheese because it’s not a very exact thing. You just have to give it a try. If you have some milk that’s going a bit “off” - not fresh enough to use for drinking - this is a great way to use that milk rather than throwing it out. Or, if you just need cottage cheese for a recipe, you can make it from fresh milk. The “tri-pack” milk works great.

Cottage Cheese
Put milk in a bowl or plastic container and cover with a cloth. Then place milk either on the counter top in the kitchen or in a warm place (like a hot water closet) and leave it until it “clabbers” - it will be the consistency of egg whites or before jello gets solid.

Place the bowl of “clabbered” or “jellied” milk in the microwave. Cook at high heat for four minutes. The goal is to cook it to the stage that it is solid enough to hold together between your finger tips. If it is still like jelly, then put it back in for four more minutes and check again. Then again for two minutes and two more minutes UNTIL it gets to that stage where you can hold it between your finger tips.

Each time you check it, cut it into large squares with the spoon, stirring it slightly just to evenly expose the milk solids to heat.

Once it is “done”, it must be drained and washed. The original instructions call for cheese cloth, but living in Africa, I decided to use “mosquito netting” . I cut it in large squares and it works nicely. I drape the netting over a colander and pour the cottage cheese and whey (separated water like liquid that come out of the cottage cheese) through the netting and colander. Then I rinse it with clean water. After rinsing well, I draw up the corners of the netting and tie it on the sink faucet to drain. I usually leave it for an hour or so (or until I remember to take it off). I have found that it drains better tied to the faucet rather than leaving it in the colander.

Once it has drained well, I put it in a bag and store it in the freezer until I’m ready to cook. For a recipe that calls for cottage cheese, I mix it with fresh milk to make it creamy - so that it looks like what you would buy in the US.

Note - the time needed to “cook” the cottage cheese depends on many factors -especially the amount of milk and the power of your microwave. The original instructions I had were for four tri-packs of milk and it said to cook it for four minutes twice and then two minutes twice. You have to test it each time though, because once it’s ready, you don’t want to continue to cook it.

I make cottage cheese from fresh milk, milk that’s stayed too long in the fridge, and also from the milk that’s left when I make butter from cream. All work fine and make an excellent ingredient for many recipes.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Well, I haven't done too well in posting recipes here. But, since Sandra asked for this one - here it is. It takes some time to assemble, but we really like it. If you have any vegetarians in your life, this works great without the chicken.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine
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Original recipe from: Southern Living Mag. Adapted by Linda.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
cooking spray
3 cups mushroom, thinly sliced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup red bell (capsicum) peppers, chopped (opt - I don't use)
3 to 8 cup fresh spinach, chopped or torn (First, remove the hard middle stem of the spinach and discard)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups cottage cheese (see elsewhere in the blog for the directions on how to make it)
4 cups penne pasta, cooked or 8 ounces dry (or 250 grams)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated, divided
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup (see elsewhere in the blog for the substitute)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. heat olive oil on med. high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; saute 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.
3. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, and soup in a large bowl. Then mix in chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup parm. cheese, and milk. Then mix in cooked pasta. Spoon mixture into a 2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup parm. cheese. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until light and bubbly.

Kenya note - when using ricotta - which is dryer - you need to add more milk. Or you can use homemade cottage cheese. I have not found a commercial cottage cheese here that works well - it's usually too sour. The original recipe called for grated fresh parmesan cheese. I did try it that way in the US, but it's MUCH more expensive and really the cheaper already ground up kind works fine. For the spinach I use "Italian Spinach" that comes in a bag, but other varieties would work I'm sure. I tear it like lettuce and then measure - I put about five cups in yesterday. The original recipe called for three cups. When I was in the US I used the bagged "baby" spinach like you put in salads. It's so mild that I used eight cups to get enough spinach flavor.

I DO NOT put red peppers in mine. That is just taste preference.

For the recipe for the soup, see elsewhere in the blog - search for white sauce. I am also going to try to add the cottage cheese directions - in case you want to make your own. The "Browns" ricotta worked okay, but I didn't add enough extra milk and it was a bit dry. The homemade cottage cheese is much nicer. Enjoy!