Ricotta is surprisingly simple to make at home and requires just three ingredients: milk, lemon juice and salt. Using whole milk not only gives the ricotta its rich, creamy mouthfeel, but also results in a better yield than semi-skimmed.

The main benefit of making ricotta yourself is that you have complete control over the quantity you make and also how long you leave it to hang, altering the finished texture.

Emanuele Scarello mixes ricotta with herbs to create a silky smooth mousse in his Turbot, mustard sauce and egg recipe and Fabrizio Marino uses it as part of his Gourmet pizza. Giuseppe D'Aquino makes tasty ricotta croquettes to serve alongside his Lamb and sweetbreads, while Gaetano Trovato uses it as a filling for his Ravioli with tomato sauce.