My default dinner is cobbling together a bunch of random things in my fridge and then grating a bunch of cheese on top. In those moments, I turn to ricotta salata, an underdog cheese that quietly makes my meals better all the time. It doesn't seek the spotlight like some of its popular grating cheese cousins (I'm looking at you, Parmesan—I get it, you're awesome. But there is more royalty than just The King.)
Ricotta salata is what happens when you press, salt, and dry fresh ricotta. It stays firm when you grate it, but it isn't so hard that you couldn't crumble it with your hands. Think of it like a milder and drier feta cheese, or a cousin to cotija or paneer. It has the perfect texture that easily dissolves in your mouth but is also sturdy enough to stand up to serious kale salads—it won't disintegrate and disappear. It's easily available at most supermarkets and considerably cheaper than a lot other hard cheeses. Don't confuse the taste with fresh ricotta though—ricotta salata is way less milky and way more salty. It's also great for shaving (like in the photo at the top) or crumbling. Basically, ricotta salata rocks.
What I love about it is its versatility: It's mild enough that it never overpowers dishes, but works great in soups, scrambled eggs, grain bowls, pesto, panzanella (one of my fave ricotta salata moments), leftover chicken situations, tacos, that food you took home from a restaurant that could use a little more life, etc.
Okay okay okay, fine, it's a little chalky and can feel a little bit like damp clay. But that's only an issue if you're eating it by itself, which I don't recommend. Save your night cheese snacks to something more gooey and soft like La Tur or Purple Haze or Cambozola or yeah, I'll stop now.
Since it's dried, there isn't too much moisture in the cheese—it'll stay in the fridge for awhile. So buy a quarter-pound wedge, pour yourself a glass of wine (yes, you have my permission to fill it too high), and try it in one of these recipes:
Fridge-Dive Pesto Pasta
Herby Black Rice Salad
Israeli Couscous and Tomato Salad
Chilaquiles with Blistered Tomatillo Salsa and Eggs