Ways to Use Whey

Well, 2 ways at least.

When you make cheese (even if you do it unsuccessfully), you end up with a lot of whey. You can feed it to the dogs and chickens -- much to their delight. And apparently you can drink it as a sports drink...

STOP!!!

How disgusting is that? Drink cold greenish liquid left over from cheesemaking? No, I don't even like milk. I don't care if they sell it in fruit flavors in Belgium. I'm not Belgian.

So what to do with the gallons of green whey? Well, the whey left over from making hard cheeses is called sweet whey and can be used to make ricotta, but the whey left over from soft cheeses has either lemon juice or citric acid added to it and is too acidic for ricotta.

But you can use it as a milk or water replacement in recipes for bread. And you can use it as a stock substitute in soups. May I present to you...

Whey-Fortified Vegetable Stew with Whey-Herb Dumplings

3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup whey
1 can crushed tomatoes (the 14 ounce size)
1 onion chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced through a press
1 medium zucchini (or 1/2 one of those mega-zukes you find in your garden patch), cubed
4 small potatoes, cubed
1 head of broccoli, chopped (including the stalk -- just peel off the outside)
2 cobs worth of corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili flakes
olive oil, salt, pepper

So, in a large stockpot, heat up about 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté onion with some salt for about 5 minutes. Add in the pressed garlic and enjoy the aroma! Continue stirring for 1 or 2 more minutes.

Add in the zucchini cubes and sprinkle salt all over. Sauté for another 5-10 minutes -- enough to get out much of the water in the zucchini. Add in the potato cubes and sauté just long enough for the outer layer of the potato cubes to get a little soft.

Dump in the corn, green beans, broccoli and lentils. Stir to mix and then cover with the can of tomatoes. Stir to mix. Now add in stock and whey, as well as chili flakes and salt/pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.

While you're waiting for the soup to hit the simmer, mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:

1 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Add in 1 1/2 TBSP butter and mix with your fingers to really work the butter in

Add 1 egg and 1/4 cup whey; mix thoroughly with a fork to make cohesive dough

Now, drop the dumpling batter by spoonfuls into the simmering soup. The trick is to make sure that all sides of the dumplings get cooked.

Simmer the soup for at least 20 minutes -- long enough to make sure the lentils are cooked.

That's it. This makes enough soup for at least 6 servings, btw. And it's even thicker the 2nd day, so enjoy the leftovers!

What's cookin' in your kitchen?

P.S. I know you'd like a photo, but all I can show you are pics of empty bowls. Get it?