INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Usually makes 4 half pound cheeses.  Mozzarella is one of several kinds
of "plastic-curd" cheeses,  originating in Italy. In making them the
curds are kneaded, which  expels whey and produces plasticity. Because
of their dense texture  they keep well in warm climates and are ideal
for smoking.  Provolone is an aged version of a plastic-curd cheese.
Mozzarella is  one of the most versatile cheeses to make at home, since
it tastes  wonderful freshly made, freezes well, and can be used like
an aged  cheese in cooking, melting readily when heated.  Start this
cheese in the evening. Maintain the milk at 90^F in a  double boiler.
Mix the buttermilk and yogurt separately with a little  of the milk to
remove lumps, then blend into the rest of the milk.  Add the rennet
solution and mix thoroughly. Let sit until the curd  sets and breaks
clearly when tested with a finger - about 20 to 30  minutes. Cut the
curd into 1/2 inch cubes as evenly as possible.  Maintain at 90^F for
15 minutes, stirring with a clean hand. The  curds are fragile because
they have not been cooked, so stir very  gently, just enough to keep
them from matting together. Gently pour  the curds into a cloth lined
colander. When the whey has drained, the  curd should be in one solid
piece. Rinse in cold water, then soak in  a pan of cold water for 15
minutes. If it is a big batch, cut the  curd into several blocks, 4 or
5 inches square. Drain off most of the  water, then refrigerate the
curds, or keep in a cool, 40^F place.  Leave them in a colander or
other container that allows drainage.  (Commercially, mozzarella curds
are shipped to delicatessens at this  stage, where the cheese is
finished.) The next day, warm the cheese  to room temperature so it
will ripen, or become more acidic. After an  hour or so, test the
cheese for acidity as follows. Cut off a small  piece of cheese and cut
it into three 1/2 inch cubes. Heat several  cups of water in a sauce
pan to 165^F. Put in the cubes and stir for  5 minutes. Remove the
cubes and mold them together like modeling  clay. Reheat the lump of
cheese in the water for a minute, then  remove and work or mold it
together a little more. After repeating  several times, try to pull the
curd apart. If it breaks or tears, and  clouds the water, it is
underripe. Wait an hour or so and test again.  When it pulls into a
long rope and can be molded together again, it  is ready. It will have
a glossy surface and* will cloud the water  only slightly. The whole
cheese is treated somewhat like the test  sample to finish it. Cut it
into small cubes and put them in a pan.  Heat water to 170^F and pour
enough over them, to cover the curds by  about 2 inches. Keep a
thermometer in the pan and let the temperature  drop to 135^F. Press
the cubes together, and then knead the cheese,  by stretching and
pulling it, as if working modelling clay. It should  become "plastic"
and stretch into long strands. When it does, shape  into half pound
balls, or make a thick rope, fold it in half, and  twist several times
to make a decorative oblong cheese. Mozzarella  can be dipped in hot
water to make a glossy surface, or wrapped in  cheese cloth to protect
it. To keep the cheese very fresh tasting for  up to a week, keep it in
a bowl of water in the refrigerator, and  change the water every day.
To salt mozzarella for longer keeping, or  to prepare it for smoking,
soak it in brine for 4 or 5 hours (See  Brined Cheese) The whey from
mozzarella is perfect for making ricotta  because it does not have a
chance to develop much acidity.  Smoked Mozzarella: Mozzarella and
other firm cheeses can be cold  smoked for flavor. Salting and smoking
both help preserve the cheese  by drying it, and discouraging bacteria
and insects. Set the cheese  on a rack in the smoker, or wrap in
cheesecloth and hang it. Keep the  temperature below 90^F to prevent
sweating off butterfat or melting.  Smoke at 60 to 85^F for 4 to 15
hours.  Brined Cheese: Press the cheese for 5 or 6 hours, or overnight,
without salting it. Make enough brine to cover the cheese by about an
inch, using 4.1/2 Tablespoons of plain salt for every quart of water
needed. Soak the cheese from 12 to 24 hours. A small cheese requires
less time than a large one. Turn the cheese once or twice to ensure
that the brine penetrates all sides. Drain for about an hour on a
cloth covered rack. Cover and refrigerate. Keeps for a week or more,
longer than most fresh cheeses.  Posted on GEnie Food & Wine RT Aug 22,
1992 by COOKIE.LADY [MUMSIE]  MM by MMCONV and Sylvia Steiger, GEnie
THE.STEIGERS, CI$ 71511,2253,  Internet sylvia.steiger@lunatic.com,
moderator of GT Cookbook and  PlanoNet Lowfat & Luscious echoes

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