- Cooking with local ingredients gets me really excited as a chef.

And I'm here at The Veggie Bin picking up a local baguette.

I'm Lauren Furey.

"Now We're Cookin'."

(upbeat music) Melissa Ann, thank you so much for coming to Charleston all the way from Nashville.

It's so good to see you.

- I'm so excited to be here for you.

- Well, we're gonna cook it up just like the old days.

And we met about, geez, 10 years ago when I was in college.

And back then you had a delicious line of vinegarettes that I could probably drink with a straw.

We're making crostini's two ways today.

The first way is topped with homemade ricotta cheese.

- [Melissa Ann] And I love that.

That's so adventurous.

- It's so adventurous.

So Melissa Ann, will you brush these crostini's with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil please?

- I would love to.

- We're using a brush because that way the olive oil can be absorbed into the nooks and crannies.

This homemade ricotta is so easy.

And so this is local whole milk to ensure that the ricotta is creamy.

And then we're going to separate the whey and the curds in the cheese by using acid.

And so we're gonna use two types of acid.

So apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.

We're gonna add some salt to season the milk as it creates the ricotta.

And then we're gonna do a little personal twist on this recipe.

- Oh, let's hear it.

- All right.

So we're gonna do a Cacio e pepe version with pecorino and black pepper.

- Okay, just say it again 'cause that's so fabulous.

- Cacio a pepe.

- I love it.

- Let's bring this over to the oven.

- All right.

- Alright.

And let's get cookin'.

Time to get these crostini's out.

- Oh, look at those.

- Oh yeah.

They smell so good, Melissa Ann.

- Perfect, toasty.

I know these crostini's are done 'cause they've got a nice golden color to them.

And they sure smell great.

- [Melissa Ann] Yes, they look perfect.

- [Lauren] Let's get this ricotta going.

- [Melissa Ann] All right.

- [Lauren] So this is a half a gallon of whole milk, and the local milk really makes a difference.

It gets extra creamy.

So we got our half gallon of whole milk in, and now for some apple cider vinegar to help the whey and the curds of the cheese separate.

The curds are what is going to make the ricotta so creamy.

And then the juice of lemon.

Oh yeah.

And then a little salt to help bring out all the flavors in this cheese.

The heat is on medium high.

Let's talk about you and why you love music and cooking so much.

- When I was a little girl, music was my world.

And I used to pretend that I won a Grammy and I won a CMA award.

But I can't sing.

I scare people.

So when I started Mod Squad Martha and was able to cook for all of my heroes, I've been the luckiest girl in the world.

And so when I started out, we didn't have streaming services.

And so I would make a mixed CD for every single dinner party.

And I would take it according to my crowd and play it because good food, good music, and good conversation makes friends out enemies.

- That's a great recipe to life in general.

- It's exactly right.

- Let's check the temperature on this milk.

We wanna get to 185 degrees.

- And can we say I made this?

- Yes!

So, all right.

So we have hit our marks.

- You can see the curds and you can see the separation.

- [Lauren] You can see the separation.

And it's not boiling.

But it's definitely at the correct temperature.

I'm gonna bring this ricotta over.

You ready, Melissa Ann?

- I'm so excited.

'Cause this is so the Italian in you and the hillbilly in me is fascinated.

- I love that.

And so now I'm gonna gently lift the curds from the whey and so you gotta be really careful because they're nice and delicate.

Oh yeah.

And see how I'm just laying it on top of the rest of the curds?

Melissa Ann, you wanna try?

- Oh yeah.

- Okay.

Melissa Ann's always game for whatever here.

Depending on how long you let your ricotta strain, that'll determine how firm it is.

If you let it strain for a while, it'll be pretty firm.

But if you just wait a few minutes, it'll be nice and soft.

We're gonna whip our ricotta today.

- I'll whip it good.

- Oh, you're gonna whip it good.

I'll set this aside.

Nice work.

- Oh, thank you.

- We make a good team.

- Yes, we do, always.

- Alright, so as you can see, the liquid's straining and it's just starting to drip now.

So it's about time to put it in our food processor and get to whipping it up.

- Oh, I'm so excited.

- I'll help you, Melissa Ann.

- Perfect.

- Let's kind of dump this into there.

Get every last bit.

So we're gonna take some of this whey and pour it into there to help it whip up super nice.

And we're gonna add some freshly cracked black pepper to bring out that flavor of the Italian Cacio e pepe with the black pepper.

And then we're gonna add some pecorino.

These are all optional additions to the recipe.

And so Melissa Ann, you wanna just pulse this please?

Let's go full force.

Let's go full speed.

Yeah.

(blender whirling) I think it's game time.

- You wanna try it?

- Okay let's try it.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Mmm.

- Mmm.

- That is really good.

- You know, and when you whip it, the flavor changes.

- It does.

- A little bit.

- Let's get this outta the food processor.

Spread it on the crostini's.

- We're gonna make 'em fancy.

- We're gonna make 'em fancy.

And so we're gonna add just a hint of honey to sweeten it up.

And you gotta measure with your heart.

- Yum.

- So would you please, Melissa Ann just mix that together?

- Just mix it up.

- Mix it up.

Mix, mix, mix.

And I do think cooking should be a lot of fun.

- It should be fun.

- Yes.

- And you know what?

Guests love to come in the kitchen.

- Yes.

- And participate.

If you will give your guests a job to do.

They love it.

- So I'm definitely keeping you busy in here.

- That's right.

So good.

- So if you hold the crostini, I'll spread the ricotta.

How's that sound?

- That's such sweet teamwork right there.

- So we're spreading just enough to cover the bread and - - Make it look kind of messy and fun.

- Yes.

Like you were cooking with your hillbilly friend.

- And your heart.

Yes.

- And your heart.

- That's where I learned to cook was my family from the Appalachian Mountains.

So that is really true.

- Let's talk about that, your family in the Appalachian Mountains.

- Yeah, my daddy's family is from the heart of Appalachia, Loretta Lynn Country.

And they were very poor.

They grew all their own vegetables.

They were organic farmers before it had a name.

They raised their own chickens.

My dad was one of seven children and they could put together pinto of beans and cornbread in a flash.

- We're gonna add some pecorino cheese.

And the trick is to get it all over the plate too.

- [Melissa Ann] Makes it prettier, doesn't it?

- Makes it prettier.

It reminds people like what is on top if you keep some as a little garnish.

I guess it's a lot of it.

Not just a little bit.

- No, but you know what?

I like a lot of everything.

I do, I'm excess.

- You're excess.

- Some people are not.

I'm total excess.

I love sauce and I love lots of it.

- Ooh, saucy Melissa Ann.

So in that case, I'll be generous with this olive oil.

Should we take a bite?

- Yes.

- All right.

- Okay, you ready?

- Pick your favorite.

I'm so ready.

- I'm getting the one with the most stuff on it.

Are you ready?

- Ready.

- Cheers to you.

- Cheers to you.

- Mmm.

- Mmm.

I think that might be the best batch ever.

And it's definitely because you're here.

- I sort of say, you know what it is?

It's all this love in the room.

- Oh yeah.

That's our secret ingredient.

- The love and heart baby.

- It's about time to make our white bean spread.

And I can't wait to show you what's in store.

- That's gonna be so fun.

- Alright, let's go.

- Let's do it.

- So Melissa Ann, will you please zest this lemon and we'll just walk 'em through how to not grate the pit of the lemon in there.

- Yes, you gotta be really delicate with that.

- Yes.

And so we're doing it right over the food processor bowl to catch all that zest.

I love that.

You playing some music for us?

Yeah, you like that?

- Yeah.

- Makes me feel important.

- Yes, you are important.

- Thank you.

- So Melissa Ann, now we have the zest in there we'll also add the juice of the whole lemon.

- Is this one of your favorite tools in your kitchen?

'Cause I love mine.

- I love it.

I love it.

And it gets all the juice out without using too much of your arm power.

Look at these muscles on this woman.

Oh yeah.

Would you please grate this one clove of garlic into the wiping hummus?

- Yes.

- And so you could also use roasted garlic if you have it on hand.

And we're using one clove to start, but you can always add more.

We're also gonna add the beans.

This might be a group project here.

I'll go like this and then, oh yeah.

See this is a good recipe to make with your friends.

- In that little bitty food processor, it's so small.

- It's so small.

We're pushing the limits of that.

- We really are - We're gonna use most of this parsley and save some for the garnish as well.

This is jarred red bell pepper which will add some color to this hummus.

And it will be so pretty that you will just, it'll catch the eyes of all your guests.

- Look at that.

It looks like Christmas already.

- It does.

- I love it.

- Would you like to do the honors?

- Yes.

- Extra virgin olive oil to make this hummus very creamy and bring it all together.

And I'm also adding some water to work together with that olive oil to produce our creamy hummus.

So now we're gonna add a pinch of kosher salt to this food processor.

And I like to buy the beans that are low sodium.

- I do too.

- You do?

- Yes.

- Yay.

Because then you can add as much salt as you would like.

And it won't be too salty.

- When you're from the south, you love your salt.

- No, we love it, that's for sure.

Alright, so let's get this thing going, shall we?

- All right.

(blender whirling) - Alright, Melissa Ann.

Let's check it out.

- Are we all in?

- We're all in.

That is what I'm talking about.

- That's pretty.

- That's pretty.

It looks pretty smooth with the parsley and the garlic and all the lemon.

So easy to spread too.

(soft music) I will garnish with a little parsley.

Just having some fun here.

Get it on the plate, that's okay.

It makes a nice little decoration.

And then we'll do some olive oil.

Let's just go all around a plate like that.

And then you wanna do a little sprinkle of salt.

- I love that.

- For good measure.

- For good measure.

- [Lauren] I know you love your salt.

- I do love my salt.

It is that hillbilly coming out of me.

We salt everything.

(soft music) - Salt brings out the best flavor in all the ingredients, and you bring out the best in everybody that you meet.

- That's back at you.

- Thank you so much for coming today.

- Thank you.

It has made my heart so full.

And I am so happy to be here with you.

- Well, I'm so glad you're here and I can't wait for our beach adventures coming up next.

- Yes, and Nashville.

- And Nashville.

I'm Lauren.

This is Melissa Ann.

Thank you so much for watching "Now We're Cookin'."