Pour the milk into a large pot and leave to rest for 4 hours at room temperature. If necessary, stir in a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt to accelerate the germination of the bacteria. Then heat the milk to 35° C. But careful: animal rennet does not work at temperatures above 40° C. Remove the milk from the cooker and stir in the rennet thoroughly for 3 minutes. Close the pot with a lid, wrap in a cloth and leave to rest for 1 hour.
During this time, the jelly is formed: the milk coagulates and whey is released. Cut through the jelly in a grid shape with a knife at a distance of approx. 1 cm and leave this "curd" to stand for another 20 minutes. Remove the curds from the pot with a ladle sieve and fill them into the prepared cheese moulds. Place the moulds on a grid to drain. Place a larger, flat dish underneath to collect the whey. You can drink the whey or use it in other ways: as a substitute for the broth in risotto, instead of water when baking bread or to soak pulses.
The Steaming
The cheese keeps its beautiful white colour through "steaming". It prevents the surface from becoming covered with a yellowish layer. Take a high and wide pot, put 2-3 cups (of the same height) in it, place a grid on top (or the inside of a salad spinner) and place the fuscelle on top. Boil water in another pot or in the kettle. Pour this into the"steamer".
Be careful: the water must not come into contact with the cheese. Close the lid immediately and let the cheese sweat or rest for 12-16 hours. Afterwards, remove the cheese from the fuscelle. It is called tuma, has a milky, mild taste and does not keep long. Try sliced tuma, grilled briefly! However, you should use the salting process to convert the majority of the cheese into Primosale.
The Salting
Salting can be done in two ways: in dry salting, the Primosale is massaged with coarse salt several times a day over the course of 1-2 days. In the case of wet salting, the Primosale is bathed for 30 minutes in a bowl with a saline solution (ratio: 100g salt to 1l water). If the cheese floats to the surface, turn it over after 15 minutes. By prolonging the salting, the cheese becomes spicier. For both variants, the cheese has to be kept in the fridge.
The Maturing Process
During the first 5 days, the Primosale matures in the fridge on a grid or in a wicker basket. Do not cover it – the cheese should be left to air. It should occasionally be brushed with the water-salt solution. After these 5 days, you can store the cheese in a cool room (cellar). During the first week in the cellar, you should rub the surface of the cheese with an oil-vinegar mixture. After that, repeat this only every 4-5 days. If mould develops, rub the surface with the water-salt solution. The maturing of Primosale can take from a few days to a few months, depending on the desired intensity of taste.