An underrated ‘old-fashioned’ food

I just read that cottage cheese – a fresh, small curd cheese product packed in tubs and usually found next to sour cream here in the States – is poised to make a comeback. While the product was relegated to self- or physician-imposed strict diets for decades, a new crop of artisan varieties hopes to refurbish the tarnished image of cottage cheese as ‘punishment food’.

Cottage cheese was born in the 1800s as a way for frugal farmers to make something out of the milk leftover after skimming the cream. Commercial production began as early as the mid-1800s, and soon a brisk trade flourished. The product remained popular throughout the 20th century, with a bump in the 1970s due to the health food craze. What finally pushed it out of most people’s refrigerators was the meteoric rise of yogurt, and the fact that it was regarded as ‘diet food’, something you ate out of necessity and not for pleasure.

In the German-American household where I was raised, cottage cheese was omnipresent. Whether eaten with fruit or vegetables as a snack or stuffed inside circles of dough (along with finely diced onion, salt, and pepper) which were then boiled and finally pan fried (think of a cross between ravioli and potstickers), we were continually using the rustic cheese.

You can use cottage cheese in much the same way as you would use tubbed ricotta – I puree it in the food processor to use in lasagne because I find the flavor and texture to be more pleasing. It’s also terrific in pancakes, like the Cottage cheese pancakes with strawberry maple syrup pictured above. It’s a wonderful neutral foil for spicy foods, and pairs well with both savory and sweet additions. The EYB Library has hundreds of additional ideas on how to use this inexpensive and delicious product. It’s my favorite underrated ‘old-fashioned’ food. What’s yours?