Spring is a season of heightened sensory experience. Delicate fragrances, sounds that bring back memories, colors I forgot even existed and of course, fresh tastes found only at this time of year. You can make ricotta anytime but its light subtlety reminds me of a quintessential spring food. Ricotta is like my perfect pillow — soft, sweet and silky. It can stand up to stronger flavors by blending in but not getting lost.

You can easily make it by hand. I gave you a recipe last year using buttermilk. I have a new one this year that uses lemon instead. Both work well, although the buttermilk version may be slightly softer and sweeter. The lemon recipe doesn’t require the use of a thermometer and I have a video from Gourmet. com that shows you exactly how to make it.

Gnocchi, gnudi, manicotti, cannoli, lasagna — all are made even more luscious with homemade ricotta. But when the weather’s nice I’d rather be outdoors as much as I can, enjoying the sensory circus. Having a tub of ricotta makes fixing a fast treat to savor with a cup of tea while soaking up some sunshine so much easier. Simply toast some walnuts, mix with a handful of dried cherries ( try Chukar’s Totally Tart , a local brand I’ve used as excellent drunken cherries for cocktails). Add a spoonful or two of local honey from Rockridge Orchards and slather it all on a slice of whole grain bread or a bagel. If you have some mint, tear a leaf and sprinkle on top. Find a sunny spot, sit back and enjoy the spring show.

Making a quick uncooked pasta sauce is another way to give yourself plenty of time in the garden. This recipe reminds me of the Straight-from-the Garden pasta I make later in the summer. The heat of the pasta is all the “cooking” the sauce requires. After boiling the pasta and cooking the asparagus in the same pot for the last couple of minutes, you mix it all together with ricotta, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Adding some of the reserved pasta water, you can take it to any level of creaminess you desire. I found inspiration for these recipes in a beautiful book, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden. Jeanne Kelley, a 20 year contributor to Bon Appetit magazine, uses her own backyard garden as the basis for this collection of recipes and gardening advice. She also includes a “Chicken Keeper’s Guide” for those interested in raising a couple of laying hens.

Homemade Fresh Ricotta

2 qts whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 t salt

3 T fresh lemon juice

Line a large sieve with several layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

Slowly bring the milk, cream & salt to a rolling boil in a large heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, while the mixture curdles.

Pour into the lined sieve and let it drain 1 hour. Discard the liquid in the bowl and chill the ricotta in a covered container. It will keep in the fridge for only a couple of days so make it right before you plan to use it. This recipe is by Richard Ferretti on Gourmet.com. Also check out the ricotta video.

Spring Pasta with Fresh Ricotta & Herbs

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1 lb penne pasta

1 lb. thin asparagus cut diagonally in 2″ pieces

3 T minced green garlic or 2 large garlic cloves, minced

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for the top

1 T melted butter

Finely minced herbs — tarragon, chervil, basil, chives, parsley about 2 T of each

Salt & Pepper

Mix the ricotta, green garlic, lemon zest, parmesan, melted butter & herbs in a large serving bowl.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes. Just before it is done, add asparagus to the boiling water. Cook 2-3 more minutes until the asparagus is tender and pasta is done. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Immediately add the pasta and asparagus to the ricotta mixture along with the cooking water. Toss to coat. Salt & pepper to taste and grate some parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy spring through all your senses.

Now that I know how to make fresh homemade ricotta, I’ve been searching for exciting ways to use it. I came across a recipe I had cut out of the Pacific Northwest Magazine in March for gnudi and thought I’d give it a try. I’d never heard of gnudi but read that it is “naked” ravioli or ravioli without the pasta. It is similar to gnocchi but the main ingredient is ricotta cheese, not potato. I couldn’t resist this recipe created by Scott Staples of Restaurant Zoe. No instant gratification here — it has to “cure” for several days to form an outer “shell”. Evidently, that is Scott’s secret to success for making gnudi that maintains it’s integrity. I made some quickly on Monday night and kept the vision of serving luscious little ricotta pillows swimming in sage butter by Thursday as my motivation.

I must give you fair warning — you may get some looks if asked what you are doing while making this. Just answer, “makin’ gnudi” and let the fun begin.

Put 7-8 ounces ricotta in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Mix with a wooden spoon until creamy yet firm. Add more cream if necessary.The mixture needs to be the right consistency to form a ball and hold together. The recipe says store-bought whole-milk ricotta will work if you can find some with visible curds and texture.

Put a layer of 2-3 cups semolina flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill from Oregon) on a sheet pan. Shake the pan to create a level surface. Use a teaspoon to scoop each ball of ricotta mixture and place on the sheet pan.

Continue until all of the ricotta mixture is used. Go back and gently roll each ball around to give it a light coating of semolina. Then roll each portion lightly in your hands to form a ball. Place each ball in a second container on a layer of 1-2 cups semolina flour. Don’t allow the gnudi balls to touch one another. This container should be one that can be sealed and placed in the fridge for several days.

Use the remaining semolina flour from the sheet pan and carefully pour it over the balls in the second container to cover them. (I had to add even more semolina and still didn’t completely cover them). Seal this container and store in the refrigerator for 2 days.

After 48 hours, remove the container from the fridge, remove the gnudi, discard the semolina and place the gnudi back in the container. Return this container, uncovered, to the fridge for 1 or 2 more days. When you are ready to cook your gnudi, shake off excess semolina flour and drop into boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes until soft and warm inside being careful not to overcook.

I served mine on a bed of steamed spinach from Tolt Gardens (letusfarm@earthlink.net), topped with brown sage butter and a few shavings of romano cheese from Estrella Creamery. The recipe claims that this is four servings but truthfully, I could have eaten the entire batch myself. Not only are they light, they taste divine. I stopped myself because we all know that sharing gnudi is better than keeping it all for yourself.

I haven’t thought much about ricotta cheese since my memories of it are bland and not that interesting. It wasn’t until I read an article in the New York Times last week that I saw the whole picture. Ricotta provides the yin to whatever spicy or sweet yang flavor you want to pair with it. It complements sharper flavors in a way that brings a richness to both. That isn’t to say that it can’t stand on it’s own. When you make your own, it has a tangy-sweet dimension that just doesn’t come through with store-bought ricotta.

Italians would probably laugh at my discovery since they have been using ricotta forever in traditional dishes like pasta filling and desserts. I may have been slow to catch on to its versatility but in the past week, I’ve already made it twice. It is destined to become a homemade staple like creme fraiche in our house.

There is something magical about this process and for those of us who are impatient in the kitchen, it is surprisingly fast. All you need for 1 cup of ricotta is 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup buttermilk, cheesecloth and a cooking thermometer. You can easily double this recipe. The second time I made it, I used milk from Sea Breeze Farm advertised as sweeter due to the cows eating fresh clover. I’m not certain, but I think they may be right.

Line a colander or sieve with 2-4 layers of cheesecloth and place in the sink or on top of a bowl.

Pour 1 qt milk and 1 cup buttermilk in a heavy saucepan on high heat. Stir often, scraping the bottom of the pan. Once the milk starts steaming, curds will begin to form on the surface. At this point, stir very gently. When the milk reaches 175-180 degrees, take off the heat, stop stirring and let the curds sit and form for 10 minutes. The whey is the thin liquid underneath the curds.

Very gently lift the curds into the colander with a slotted spoon. Let the ricotta sit in the colander for 5-10 minutes while the liquid drains off. When the dripping has slowed down, bring the edges of the cheesecloth together, gently twist the top so it is closed. Do not squeeze the liquid out. Let it continue to drain for 15 minutes more. Untie the cloth and lift the finished ricotta into an airtight container. Use within a week.

One of the easiest ways to use ricotta is as a savory spread on crostini or grilled bread. Brush both sides of slices of bread with olive oil. Set on the grill or under a hot broiler and toast on both sides. Rub each slice with a cut garlic clove.

Mix ricotta with 1/4 – 1/2 cup whole milk or cream until it becomes very creamy and spreadable. Add 1 teaspoon chopped herbs such as thyme. This tastes even better topped with a spicy jam like the Rhubarb-Thyme Jam created by Becky Selengut. A sweet version of the ricotta spread for your breakfast toast can be made by adding honey and cinnamon instead of herbs.

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