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Easy Tofu Ricotta
By Miyoko Schinner from "Artisan Vegan Cheese from Everyday to Gourmet"
It's very exciting to have not one, but two, versions of this soft cheese that is an important ingredient in many southern Italian dishes. Miyoko's other recipe, for almond ricotta, is listed separately.
Miyoko says: "This version of ricotta, which can be made in a jiffy, is a fine filling for lasagne, stuffed pasta shells, calzones, and other such dishes. The recipe is for a basic, plain ricotta, but you can enhance it by adding garlic, herbs, and olive oil, as in the variation."
Makes about 2 1/4 cups
450 g 1 pound medium-firm regular tofu
59 ml1/4 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
15 ml1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
5 ml1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ml1/2 teaspoon salt
Put all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until the mixture is thoroughly combined and the tofu is in small bits, similar to the texture of dairy-based ricotta.
Storage: Refrigerated in a covered container, Easy Tofu Ricotta will keep for about 2 days.
Comparison to Almond Ricotta: Easy Tofu Ricotta is lighter and has excellent flavor immediately after making, but I found that it lost a lot of flavor and body after the first day. It is easy to make but more perishable than the almond-based version. I tried it in the Cool Ziti with Eggplant and Tomatoes but found that it was too light in texture to stand up to the large chunks of pasta and vegetables. The Almond Ricotta, being made with only almonds, had more body and worked better in the recipe. But I agree with Miyoko, that the Easy Tofu Ricotta would make an excellent filling in a lot of familiar recipes. I didn't try the variation given below, but it sounds delicious:
Variation: Garlic-basil ricotta: For a great pizza topping or filling for ravioli, stir in 3 to 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of lightly packed, slivered fresh basil leaves, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.