Baked Fresh Ricotta With Olives Recipes

BAKED ARTICHOKES WITH OLIVES AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• In a shallow Dutch oven or braising pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the olives, white wine and capers and cook about 2 minutes.
• Halve 6 of the cleaned artichokes and place them in the braising liquid. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and season with salt and pepper. Be sure to taste, as the olives and capers can make the sauce very salty. Cover the mixture, bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat until the artichokes are tender (a knife should go through without resistance) and the liquid has reduced by half, about 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drop dollops of the ricotta cheese on each artichoke, then top with the grated Pecorino. Bake in the oven covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat 2 inches canola oil in a Dutch oven or fryer to 350 degrees F. Slice the remaining 2 artichokes extremely thin using a mandolin slicer or by hand. Pat the slices dry with paper towels. Drop the artichoke slices into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.
• Top the baked artichoke with the fried artichoke slices and tarragon serve.

BAKED RICOTTA WITH LEMON, GARLIC, & CHIVES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375°F Lightly grease a 1/2- to 1-quart gratin dish or baking pan.
• Mix the ricotta, lemon juice and zest, garlic, chives, and salt, and a generous quantity of fresh black pepper. Spread in the baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the ricotta overnight, if desired.)
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Drizzle again with olive oil. Serve immediately with crackers for dipping.

BAKED RICOTTA ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and garlic in a large, 3-quart baking dish. Drizzle generously with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat everything. Make a well in the center of the dish and drop in the ricotta cheese. Drizzle the ricotta with remaining olive oil and give it a generous pinch more of pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Switch the oven to broil at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and continue to cook until desired blistering and browning occurs, 2 to 4 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Remove the baked ricotta dish from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack.
• Add thyme leaves, then stir the ricotta to break it up. Stir in fresh basil, parsley, and lemon juice. Add the reserved pasta water to loosen things up if needed. Taste and adjust salt if desired. Add the orecchiette and stir until everything is coated. Serve.