Introduction
Talking about requeijão is like talking about gold in this household. I have always loved requeijão, but Andrew is on another level. I don't even know if there is a word to describe how he feels about it.
How to make
Start by boiling your milk.
Stir constantly so the bottom doesn't burn and cut off the heat as soon as you see it starting to boil.
Reserve 3/4 cup of this milk. Add lime juice and stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, so the milk starts to separate.
You'll have curds that will start to come to the surface of a clear yellowish liquid, that's Whey.
Put a bowl or pitcher in the sink and put your strainer lined with cheese cloth or coffee filters on top.
Slowly pour the separated milk on to the pitcher with the strainer. You want to catch all the curds.
Once you have poured it all, press it a bit and then leave it sitting for a few minutes so all the whey is drained out of your curds.
Place the curds into your blender. Add butter, salt and the reserved hot milk.
Blend until smooth.
You can stop here and if that's the case, skip the next step.
Add mozzarella and 2/3 cup of milk to the blender and continue blending until smooth. Check that it isn't too thick, if it is, add a bit more milk.
Transfer to an air tight container and label it with the date. This will last 5 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
2L milk - homogenized + 2/3 cup if using mozzarella.
4 tbsp lime juice - see note.
3 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 cup (125g) shredded mozzarella - optional, see note.
Make sure you have a strainer, a bowl or pitcher that fits your strainer, cheese cloth or coffee filters.
Notes:
Lime juice: you can substitute this for lemon juice or vinegar. Whatever you use will leave an after taste in your final product and we use lime juice just because we prefer its taste.
Mozzarella: not necessary. If you don't use it, it will be just as good. The reason we use it is for added taste and texture.