Homemade Ricotta Cheese, Interesting Soup and Another Recipe Book!

I love it when the latest Lakeland catalogue drops through the letterbox. I usually save it for the weekend when I peruse it at my leisure and bookmark all the things I would like to buy. The Autumn issue featured an Italian Cheese making set. It's really hard to get Kosher Ricotta and Mascarpone cheese in Manchester, so when I read that with the Mad Mollie Cheese making kit I could make my own, I hit the Buy button. £19.99 promised me kilos of homemade cheese including Mozzarella, it was too good to miss. So today I took the plunge and made my first batch of Ricotta and it really wasn't that difficult. Basically after sterilising your pot, thermometer, spoons etc, you bring 2 litres of full fat milk up to 95C, then add a teaspoon of citric acid crystals dissolved in 1/4 cup of water and turn the heat off. The milk starts to curdle straightaway, you then leave it to cool for about 1 hour (I went to visit my mother in law!). You then separate the curds from the whey with a slotted spoon and put the curds in the little strainer provided. Let it stand for another hour to settle and Voila! Apparently the whey is very good for the plants in the garden, I hope mine liked it, they need all the help they can get!
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/18085/Mad-Millie-Italian-Cheese-Kit
This is how my cheese turned out.

My veg box included some broccoli and and the recipe cards that came in the box included one for broccoli, feta and walnut soup. I thought it sounded interesting so made it for supper. David's verdict was that it was "different", which means he wasn't sure but he emptied the bowl. I wasn't sure at first but it grew on me. I think if you can't find kosher feta cheese, then Chevingtons' Cheshire or Lancashire would also be good. Anyhow, here is the link to the recipe.
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/broccoli-feta-and-walnut-soup
My soup looked like this!

I couldn't resist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's latest book, River Cottage Light and Easy.



 He promotes healthier eating by reducing the amount of wheat, dairy and meat that we eat. I have cut down drastically on red meat, we rarely eat it, but I am a big bread and cheese lover. The book is well written, beautifully illustrated with the kind of food photography that I can only aspire to, and I can't wait to get stuck in. I'm thinking of taking it to Israel with me, because the book is lavish with its' use of fresh fruit and veg and I want to be able to cook light there, to counteract the food that we eat out in restaurants. We do tend to eat out quite a lot in Jerusalem, there are so many fantastic places to try and our choices here in Manchester are rather limited. It still gives me a thrill to know that in Jerusalem I can just go out to eat pretty much wherever I want, I don't take it for granted at all, even eating a stir fry in the local Mall still excites me!