The Many Lives of Cottage Cheese

Falling Back in Love with an Old Favorite

Hello, All—Thank you so much for bearing with me through these past few weeks. I’m finishing up a book project (more info coming soon!) and it’s taking up all of my time. I promise we will get back to more stories from Californians all across the state—and to lots of delicious recipes—as soon as I’m out of the weeds. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a couple of the super easy meals (barely recipes at all, really) that are getting me through the busy season. They’re both built around an ingredient I really thought I’d never eat again after the 90s but have fallen back in love with, thanks to some great new producers.

Cottage Cheese Revisited

Did anyone else groan audibly when they found out that cottage cheese was trendy again? No? Just me? Memories of the bowls of cottage cheese I ate as a kid (and a teen) do not “spark joy.” So recent videos of people claiming to love it made me think that maybe a new batch of young cooks was simply returning to old-school dieting culture.

But I’ll admit it: I was wrong. I picked up a small tub of Good Culture’s artisan version recently for a work project, and I was totally bowled over. This is nothing like the bland, grainy food I remember. It’s creamy and rich with a mild flavor that makes it a great canvas for pretty much any combination of flavors. I’ve been playing around with high-quality cottage cheese ever since, using it as the base for a variety of quick meals that work for breakfast, lunch, and, really, any time I need something filling and delicious. Here are two recent favorites:

Cottage Cheese with Fruit, Nut Oil, and Honey

In the past few weeks, I’ve been turning to creamy cottage cheese in place of my usual yogurt. It’s also full of probiotics but less sour, which makes it feel a bit more decadent—especially when topped with lots of fun fruit. I even managed to get a couple of nine-year-olds to eat this combination as an after-school snack in place of the treat I usually get them to celebrate the end of the week. (Ok, yes, they also split some banana bread, but only after they gobbled this up.)

High-quality whole milk cottage cheese
Berries
Mango
Orange
High-quality nut oil, ideally walnut, hazelnut, or pistachio from La Tourangelle
Honey
Flakey salt

Put a couple big scoops of cottage cheese in a bowl and add the berries to one side. Cut one side of the mango into small pieces, then supreme half the orange and cut the slices into thirds (see methods for both in the video above); add both to the bowl. Drizzle everything with a bit of nut oil and a lashing of honey and sprinkle on some salt.

Cottage Cheese Salad with Fresh Herbs and Za’atar

This recipe is more reminiscent of the meals I used to make with cottage cheese when I was a teen (which were probably based on what my mom used to make). But I’ve upped the ante a bit here, seasoning each vegetable separately to bring out its flavor and adding a whole lot of fresh herbs and a bit of za’atar to everything.

1 inch English cucumber
½ tomato (or small handful cherry tomatoes)
½ rib of celery
Kosher salt
Granulated sugar
Red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh soft herb, such as basil, mint, and chives—ideally a combination of all three
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
High-quality whole milk cottage cheese
Za’atar

Dice the cucumber and the tomato and slice the celery; put each into its own small bowl. Mix a pinch of salt into the cucumber, a pinch each of salt and sugar into the tomato, and a drizzle of vinegar into the celery and let everything sit and macerate a little. Chiffonade the herbs.

Pour 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, and the mustard into a small jar and shake it well to form a dressing.

Put a couple big spoonfuls of cottage cheese into a bowl and arrange the vegetables and herbs around it. Drizzle the dressing over everything and sprinkle on a big pinch of za’atar.

Other California Recipes to Try

If you’re looking for another fun warm(ish) weather option, and willing to do a bit more cooking than I’ve done above, check out the Kai Jiew (Thai-Style Omelet) recipe that the LA Times recently got from Holy Basil or the fantastic-looking Lemony White Bean, Cheese and Chicory Quesadillas in the SF Chronicle last month. (I’ll definitely be making both this month!) Alternatively, if you’re still looking for warming foods for chillier (and maybe rainier) nights, check out the Clams and Sausage in Aguachile posted in Fresca a couple weeks ago (it’s for paid subscribers only but totally worth the cost).

Photos/video: Georgia Freedman