Sailboat Galley – Fresh Mozzarella

Mozzarella is also a perfect slicing cheese for pizzas, Caprese salad and flatbreads. Melt it over toast or your favorite protein, add it to breakfast with our Sun-Dried Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Cheese quiche, or use it to top roasted vegetables. Our favorite is the Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Mozzarella and Basil.

Mozzarella is used for most types of pizza and several pasta dishes or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in Caprese salad. Mozzarella is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo’s milk by the pasta filata method.

As long as you don’t have a sensitivity to lactose or dairy, eating cheese every day can be part of your healthy eating plan. In addition to the protein and calcium benefits, cheese is a fermented food and can supply a good source of probiotics for a healthy gut. The trick is to enjoy it in moderation.

OceanWaveSail Galley - Mozzarella

Total Time

1 hr

Servings

8 sailors

Ingredients:

How to prepare it:

  • Dissolve 1/4 rennet tablet into 1/4 cup of cool chlorine free water. Be sure it’s completely dissolved.  Set it aside.
  • Mix 1-1/2 teaspoon citric acid into 1 cup cool chlorine free water and pour it into your pot.  Add 1 gallon milk and stir vigorously.  Heat to 90 degrees F while stirring.
  • Remove from heat and slowly stir in the rennet solution with an up-and-down motion for about 30 seconds.
  • Cover and leave it undisturbed for 5 minutes.
  • Check for curd which should look like custard with clear separation between the curd and the whey. If the curd is too soft or the whey is milky let it set for a few more minutes. Be gentle.
  • Cut the curd into squares with a long knife that reaches the bottom of the pot. Heat the pot back up to 105 degrees F. while slowly stirring — this will make a firmer cheese. Take it off the heat and stir for another 2 to 5 minutes or longer for a firmer cheese. This takes a little experience to get the texture you want but soft or firm its all wonderful.  
  • Pour off the whey and save it for bread!!
  • Ladle the curds into a microwave bowl and again drain off as much of the whey as you can.
  • Heat in the microwave for one minute — if you don’t have a microwave, use a water bath.
  • Remove and drain off whey again……add salt at this point ….I use about 1 teaspoon….microwave again to about 135 degrees F. so it will stretch properly. Put on some rubber gloves if your hands are tender and stretch it like taffy ’til it’s smooth and shiny. The more you work it the firmer it is…feel free to taste!

IMPORTANT:  You cannot make this with ultrapasteurized milk, so “boxed milk” will not work (it just won’t form curds).  Instead, try using good powered milk (see my post about where to find great powdered milk).  If you use powdered milk, none of the ingredients require refrigeration, so you can have cheese no matter how long you’re away from stores!

Marinate it in good quality olive oil and herbs and garlic ………..slice it up with tomatoes and fresh basil or whatever you like!

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