Every Tuesday I answer a question from a Good Food listener. You can email me a question, leave one on Facebook or add one in the comments section here. This week’s came from Anita:

What’s the Difference Between Paneer an Ricotta recipes? I Thought Ricotta Requires Rennet.

Rennet is not used in ricotta making. Traditional ricotta is made from whey that’s left over from the cheesemaking process in which rennet or lactic acid has been used to create the formation of curds.  No additional rennet or acid needs to be added to the whey because the original cheesemaking process already innoculated the milk. All that’s needed is heat to create more curd formation. Most of us don’t have that kind of whey hanging around (unless we’ve made mozzarella), so instead we make ricotta from the milk itself instead of from whey. Strictly speaking acid precipitated cheese from milk is paneer (once it’s compressed).

When you get whey from making ricotta using milk and an acid (such as vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid) it’s a one time deal. In other words, that resulting whey will not yield more ricotta because the heat and acid used to make ricotta uses up all the protein and there is none left.

If asparagus, in it’s green, spring and well…grassy… personality fails to seduce you then try roasting it. You know I love roasting veggies. It’s the lazy cook’s secret. But asparagus truly transforms from sharp and grassy to sweet and luscious.  Obviously if you start with the apex of asparagus, grown by Zuckerman Farms or Suncoast  (both found at local farmers markets), you will have exceptional results. But even using supermarket asparagus, as I do here, the transformation is remarkable. I prefer using thicker stalks in the oven for the simple reason that there is more to put in your mouth after they soften and collapse into themselves.

This is what I do: Line a shallow pan with parchment or foil. Lay out the spears in a single layer and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. I put the asparagus into a preheated 400 degree oven and roast until they are no longer rigid and have nice caramelization over the stalks. Occasionally I’ll roll them over at the 15 minute mark. Generally the vegetable roasting rule applies. The uglier they are, the better they taste. And don’t worry about timing. The sweet softened spears are as tasty at room temperature as they are hot from the oven and require no additional garnish or dipping sauces. Usually I roast them for at least half an hour, sometimes more if they are very thick.

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Mark Gold helms the kitchen at Eva.  He first shared this recipe for Salsa Verde on June 28, 2008.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

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Today on Good Food, Laura Avery interviews Chef Brad Miller of the Inn of the Seventh Ray. Chef Miller has an updated version of everyone’s favorite – Strawberry Shortcake. Instead of whipped cream he uses agave sweetened yogurt and he also serves the dessert with a dollop of lemon curd. Also – check out his cool technique for simulating a Cryovac with a Ziploc bag at home. Keep reading for his full recipe…

(Photo Credit: David Karp)

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Tomorrow on Good Food, Evan talks to Cindy Mushet about her book Baking Kids Love. Her Nuts for Nutella Chocolate Tart is an easy recipe with a press in crust and a no-bake filling that is perfect for kids. You can decorate the top with powdered sugar or cocoa powder using stencils and it looks very professional. And both kids and parents love to eat it. If you’re staying home this Mother’s Day…why not enjoy a day baking with the kids?

Keep reading for the recipe…

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I asked my buddy Darra Henigan, Farmers Market Coordinator at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, what delicious ingredients should make it into my cart this weekend at the Farmers Market. She recommends…

- morels 

- green beans

- Pakistan mulberries (arrive very early for these!)

- cherries

Photo credit: James and James Productions.

This week on Good Food, Jonathan Gold visits Tar & Roses, the brainchild of Chef Andrew Kirschner. The menu is centered around a wood oven and farmers market vegetables. Jonathan’s favorite dishes are the popcorn, roasted english peas, roasted carrots, roasted cauliflower, marrow bone, chicken oysters and the shellfish pot.

Tar & Roses
602 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica
(310) 587-0700

You can find all of Jonathan’s restaurant suggestions on the Good Food restaurant map.

Sweet Breakfast Bruschetta

• A bowl of Ricotta and Fruit instead of Cottage Cheese is a great breakfast
• Savory Bruschetta:  Toast a slice of good bread.  Scrape with garlic clove.  Top with Ricotta.  Garnish with pesto, tapanade or sun-dried tomato pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.  Eat leaning over a plate or the sink
• Sweet Breakfast Bruschetta:  Toast a slice of fruit and nut bread.  Spread some of that great jam or preserves you’re hoarding on the toast.  Top with ricotta and drizzle with honey or chopped almonds or walnuts and a sprinkle of  cinnamon.
• Pasta alla Ricotta:  Loosen ricotta with a couple tablespoons of pasta cooking water.  Add a small handful of good grated parmesan and a pinch of red chile flakes.  Slowly cook one slice’s worth of lardons or pancetta sliced into batons with  a couple whole garlic cloves until fat is rendered from pork and garlic is golden.  Add to ricotta -parmesan mixture.  Toss with hot pasta.
• Make my Gnochetti di Ricotta
• Spaghetti al Pomodoro con Ricotta:  Make a simple tomato sauce with just garlic and a good amount of olive oil and some salt.  Toss pasta into the sauce then portion out into bowls.  Garnish the sauced pasta with a healthy thwack of fresh ricotta.  Sprinkle with grated parmesan.  Eat and swoon.
• Deconstructed Cannoli: Beat ricotta in a food processor with sugar and cinnamon to taste.  Add a bit of lemon zest and chopped chocolate of your choice.  Serve with stone fruit slices instead of cannoli shells

Every Thursday on the Good Food Blog we share a recipe from our archives.

Every week, Good Food’s Music Supervisor Gary Mecija selects a song to cook by. All of Gary’s music selections are added to Good Food’s Music to Cook By Playlist which lives on the right-hand sidebar of the Good Food Blog. This week’s selection is Iko Iko by The Dixie Cups. Enjoy!