Ricotta

What it is: Thanks to crafty Italian cooks who refused to waste food, ricotta cheese was invented. It is the whey, or the watery, protein-rich byproduct of cheese making, heated again (the Italian word ``ricotta" means recooked) into a gently flavored, fine-grained, soft cheese. Today most American-made ricottas stray from the original recipe by using milk or a combination of milk and whey, instead of whey only. Truly fresh ricotta, usually sold in plastic deli containers, has a flavor and texture unmatched in commercially made ricotta. Another cheese, ricotta salata, begins with fresh ricotta, which is salted, pressed, dried, and aged for three months. It becomes a white, sharp - tasting cheese for grating into salads and pastas.

How to use: With its mild nutty flavor, fresh ricotta pairs well with both salty and sweet foods. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the cheese, add a sprinkle of olive oil, and serve with crusty bread. Or gently heat fresh ricotta in a skillet, then drizzle with honey, to serve as breakfast or a snack. You can dip fresh fruits into a mixture of ricotta and confectioners' sugar or use the same mixture to fill pies or cannoli shells. Fresh ricotta also goes into pancake batters, lasagnas, gnocchi, and ravioli.

Where to buy it: Local cow's milk ricotta is at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge (617-354-4750) , which carries Calabro ricotta ($4.95 a pound) from East Haven, Conn., and at Fresh Cheese in the North End (617-570-0007) , which sells ricotta from Quincy-based Purity Cheese ($2.39 a pound, below). The fresh cheese has a shelf life of five to 30 days, depending on how it is made. If ricotta feels prickly on the tongue, it is past its prime. -- JILL SANTOPIETRO