Ricotta And Pine Nut Salad Recipes

RICOTTA AND PINE NUT SALAD

Steps:

• Place ricotta in a mixing bowl and break up with a fork. Tear basil leaves into pieces, and toss with ricotta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place a small dry skillet over medium heat, and add pine nuts. Stir constantly until nuts are darkly golden. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• Arrange salad leaves on a large platter and sprinkle with Belgian endive. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mixture over salad greens, and toss. Spread pine nuts evenly over greens.
• Drop small mounds of ricotta mixture onto greens. Dust ricotta with paprika, and garnish platter with basil leaves. Serve.

CREAMY RICOTTA TART WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 cup of pine nuts, and salt until finely ground. Add the butter. Pulse dough just until it comes together.
• Place the dough into an 11-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom and press down to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the tart shell is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. You don't want to boil the water, you just want to heat it so that the sugar can dissolve thoroughly. Stir until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup of toasted pine nuts atop the filling. Bake until the custard is set, about 10 minutes longer. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

RICOTTA, OLIVE AND PINE NUT SPREAD

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the ricotta cheese, olives, pine nuts, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until smooth. Add the parsley and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook's Note: To toast the pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 7 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

ONE-POT PENNE WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Add spinach during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return pasta and spinach to pot. Add oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Serve immediately, topped with ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan.

WATERMELON, RICOTTA SALATA, BASIL, AND PINE NUT SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Place watermelon and ricotta salata in medium serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
• *Available at supermarkets, Italian markets, and specialty foods stores.

FRUIT SALAD WITH RICOTTA PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large non-metallic serving bowl, stir together the crushed pineapple, sugar, and ricotta cheese until well blended. Stir in the fruit cocktail, pineapple tidbits, strawberries, apples and nectarines. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The longer you refrigerate before serving, the better it will taste.

COURGETTE, MINT, RICOTTA & CHILLI SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a griddle pan to medium. Put the courgette slices in a bowl and toss with 1½ tbsp of the oil. Griddle for 3-4 mins on each side - you'll need to do this in batches - then transfer to a clean bowl. (See below left for griddling tips.)
• Mix together the remaining oil, the vinegar, most of the chilli and mint, and some seasoning, then pour over the courgettes and leave to marinate.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pan until foaming, then add the pine nuts. Cook over a low heat until nicely browned, then drain on kitchen paper.
• To assemble the salad, toss the rocket and most of the pine nuts with the courgettes. Divide among plates or pile onto a serving dish. Break the ricotta into chunks and dot over the salad, then scatter the remaining chilli, mint and pine nuts on top.