Baked Ricotta With Roasted Tomatoes Recipes

WHOLE ROASTED RICOTTA PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Pick most of the oregano leaves, then pound to a paste in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Peel and bash in the garlic, muddle in 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, then season with black pepper.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes, deseed and roughly chop the peppers, peel and roughly chop the onion, slice the chillies in half lengthways, and add it all to a large roasting tray along with the capers. Pour over most of the flavoured oil and toss together.
• Make a little well in the centre of the tray, pop in the ricotta and rub all over with the remaining flavoured oil. Add a splash of water to the tray, place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes, or until the veggies are soft and just starting to caramalise.
• With 10 minutes to go, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mug of the starchy pasta water, and steam dry.
• Carefully lift the ricotta onto a board. Tip the drained pasta and a little of the pasta water into the tray and gently shake to loosen all the sticky goodness from the bottom. Toss together, then tip into a serving dish and break the beautiful ricotta over the top. Pick over the remaining oregano leaves and grate over the Parmesan, then serve.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH HERBED RICOTTA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside for up to 30 minutes.
• With a small serrated knife, cut the larger tomatoes in wedges through the stem and the smaller tomatoes in half through the stem. Place them in a medium bowl with the garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• When ready to serve, add the basil to the tomatoes and combine. Pile the ricotta in a large (12-inch) round shallow bowl or oval platter. Using a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes around the ricotta, discarding any liquid. Drizzle the tomatoes and ricotta with olive oil, sprinkle with the reserved basil and fleur de sel, and serve at room temperature.
• Set a fine-mesh sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 pieces of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with a double layer of the cheesecloth.
• Pour the milk and cream into a medium stainless-steel or enameled pot, such as Le Creuset, and stir in the salt. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for one minute, until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
• Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 minutes (for soft ricotta) to 25 minutes (for firmer ricotta), occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining liquid. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep, refrigerated, for 4 to 5 days.

ROASTED TOMATO, RICOTTA AND BASIL CROSTINI

Steps:

• For the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the baguette into thin slices and put them on one of the prepared baking sheets. Brush the bread with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until they are golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes.
• For the roasted tomatoes: In a medium bowl, mix together the tomatoes, honey, olive oil and red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Put the mixture on the other prepared baking sheet and bake until the tomatoes start to color and shrivel, about 25 minutes.
• For the ricotta: In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, olive oil and garlic powder until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the crostini are cooled slightly, spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the top of each piece, and then top with the roasted tomatoes, drizzling any extra juices over the top. Garnish with the chiffonade of basil.

WHOLE BAKED RICOTTA WITH LENTILS & ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the shallots in a medium-sized roasting tin, drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil and season. Roast for 15 mins until golden brown and beginning to soften. Meanwhile, to make a dressing, whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon zest and juice, stir through half the herbs and season.
• Toss the lentils together with the shallots, spinach and 4 tbsp water. Put the ricotta in the centre of the roasting tin and lay the tomatoes around them. Drizzle the dressing over the lentils and shake the tin a little to combine everything. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ricotta and season everything well. Return to the oven for 30-35 mins or until the ricotta is firm and lightly golden.
• Serve the lentils in shallow bowls topped with spoonfuls of the creamy ricotta and sprinkled with the remaining herbs.

BAKED RICOTTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• The dish is best served hot, but it can also be baked up to 4 hours in advance and served at room temperature. Position a broiler rack 6in (15cm) from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Place the red pepper on the rack and broil, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes, until the skin is charred and blistered. Transfer to a plate and cool. Peel and discard the ribs and seeds. Cut the pepper into thin strips. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly oil a small baking dish. Reserve 2 tomato halves and place the remaining tomato halves in the dish, cut sides up. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes until the tomatoes soften. Remove the dish from the oven and set aside. Cut the ricotta cheese in half crosswise. Remove the tomatoes from the dish. Place the bottom half of the ricotta, cut side up, in the dish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange the pepper strips on top, then the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and top with the remaining ricotta, cut side down. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and drizzle with a little extra oil. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is hot and the top is golden.