Ragusano stretched-curd cheese

Day one: heat the morning's milk, add natural rennet, wait for the curd to set, then break up the curd.

Next day, slice the curd in long, thin, even slices.

Add water heated to 73C / 163F to the sliced curd and work the curds, testing periodically until they reach the right elasticity.

Remove the excess water and stretch the curd; for a full-size cheese at least three quarters of an hour, less for a small sample.

Work the ball to expel all the water trapped inside; a long, slow process.

Lift the smooth white ball from the liquid into a wooden mould and press it into the parallelogram shape.

Mark with the consortium seal and traceability tag, brine in salt brine for a number of days, then hang from a rope in the cave to age; two cheeses are hung together over a beam, then stacked in rows when mature.