Ricotta Salata With Roasted Red Peppers And Marinated Baby Artichokes Recipes

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH RED PEPPERS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Cut 1 lemon in half. Squeeze juice into bowl of cold water; add lemon halves. Quarter second lemon. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, trim off tough outer leaves (about 3 layers). Cut off 3/4 inch of top; cut off stem. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise; rub all cut surfaces with lemon quarter to prevent discoloration. Scoop out any choke from center. Drop artichoke halves into lemon water.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add bell peppers. Sauté until peppers soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; stir 2 minutes. Drain artichokes and add to skillet. Add 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, thyme, bay leaf, and lemon peel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; bring to simmer. Cover and simmer until artichokes are tender, adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry and stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm, covered, over low heat, adding more water if dry.) Mix in parsley; season with salt and pepper.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH LEMON RICOTTA

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Rinse the peppers, pat them dry and place them on the pan. Roast the peppers, turning every 10 minutes, until their skins are black and blistered, 40 minutes, more or less. Transfer the peppers to a heatproof bowl, cover and, when they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Remove the caps, cut each pepper in quarters or halves and remove and discard the seeds. Lightly brush the peppers with oil; use now, or cover closely and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• Scrape the ricotta into a bowl, and mix with a spatula to smoothen. Grate the lemon zest over the ricotta, squeeze in about 1 tablespoon of the juice and add the preserved lemon rind, if you're using it. Pour in a few teaspoons of olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Use now, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• To serve, spoon or spread the lemon ricotta on a platter or individual plates, and drizzle with olive oil. Top with peppers, and brush or drizzle with olive oil and either sherry or balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of chives or basil.

MARINATED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an ice-water bath; add juice of 1 lemon. Trim stems of artichokes, leaving 1 inch intact. Remove tough outer leaves, and trim sharp tips of remaining leaves with scissors. Halve baby artichokes lengthwise, or quarter small artichokes; scoop out fuzzy chokes, and discard. Add prepared artichokes to lemon water as you work.
• Arrange artichokes in a nonreactive 12-by-16-inch baking dish. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 4 strips of zest from remaining lemon, and add to baking dish. Add garlic, olives, and 2 rosemary sprigs. Squeeze juice from zested lemon over artichokes. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover dish with parchment paper, then foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; stir, and cook until tender and browned in places, about 10 minutes. Serve the artichokes as is, or continue to step 3.
• Let artichokes cool completely. Transfer contents of baking dish to a sterilized, dry 1-quart jar; add remaining 2 rosemary sprigs. Add enough oil to cover artichokes. Place a round of waxed paper on surface. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND CHERRY TOMATOES WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place bell peppers, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish and top with anchovies and garlic. Tear 1/4 cup basil leaves over top, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil. Bake until peppers are tender but still hold their shape and are slightly charred around edges, 35-45 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, blend remaining 3/4 cup basil and remaining 1/3 cup oil in a blender until smooth; season basil oil with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Arrange bell peppers on a platter. Top with tomatoes, ricotta, olives, and more basil, then drizzle with basil oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.

PAN-ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Peel off and discard a few outer petals of the artichokes until you reach the pale, tender center. Trim the top and stem end, then quarter each artichoke. There should be no discernible choke, but if there is, remove it with a paring knife. Put the artichokes in a bowl of cold water to which the lemon juice has been added.
• In a wide, heavy, nonaluminum skillet, heat a 1/2 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Drain and blot the artichokes and, when the oil is nearly smoking, carefully add them to the skillet. Season well with salt and pepper, stirring to coat with oil. Let the artichokes brown slightly, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until they are tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Add the red pepper, garlic and parsley. Stir well and let sizzle for a minute or so. Transfer the artichokes to a platter, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with lemon wedges, or sprinkle sparingly with red wine vinegar. Eat hot, or at room temperature.

ROASTED PEPPER AND ARTICHOKE BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush the baguette slices with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Toast until crisp but still slightly tender on the inside, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, combine the artichoke marinade, artichokes and roasted red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Spoon the artichoke and pepper mixture on the toasted baguette slices. Drizzle each with a little bit of the marinade.

ARTICHOKE & ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER

Steps:

• Halve cooked artichokes lengthwise; scoop out center petals and fuzzy centers. Remove outer leaves and reserve to garnish salad; or refrigerate to use for snacks another time. Thinly slice hearts. Cover; set aside.
• Place whole bell peppers under preheated broiler; broil under high heat until charred on all sides, turning frequently with tongs. Carefully remove from oven with tongs; place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to steam skins. Carefully remove peppers from bag; remove seeds and ribs. Strip off skins; slice peppers into julienne strips.
• Prepare Dressing: In blender or food processor container, place 1/4 of the bell pepper strips, vinegars, garlic, basil, rosemary. Cover and process until well blended and nearly smooth.
• Assemble Salads: Arrange reserved cooked artichoke leaves or lettuce leaves on 8 salad plates. Arrange sliced artichoke hearts, remaining 3/4 of the bell pepper strips, red onion and olive slices on artichoke or lettuce leaves.
• Spoon dressing over salads. Makes 8 salads.

BRUSCHETTA WITH ROASTED SWEET RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven's broiler.
• Slice bread loaf into 1-inch thick portions. Brush each slice on one side with olive oil. Broil, oil-side up, until barely golden. Remove from broiler pan and cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together roasted pepper, garlic, tomato, basil, and onion. Sprinkle mixture evenly on each toast portion. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER AND RICOTTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Puree ricotta, roasted red peppers, oil, Parmesan, and garlic in a food processor.
• Stir in parsley and oregano. Toss with hot pasta and serve.

RICOTTA AND ROASTED RED PEPPER FRITTATA

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the pecorino, parsley, 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, oregano, and eggs and season with black pepper & red pepper flakes (if using); set egg mixture aside.
• Heat the oil in a 10" nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add the remaining salt, onions, and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 20 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat.
• Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir to distribute the onions & scallions and potatoes evenly.
• Scatter the peppers over the top, spoon the ricotta over the mixture in 6 dollops, and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino.
• Bake until lightly browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes.
• Run a rubber spatula around the edges of the frittata to loosen it.
• Slide the frittata onto a serving plate; season with more black pepper, if you like.
• Enjoy!

ARTICHOKE-RED PEPPER TOSSED SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar and seasoned salt; cover and shake well. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

RICOTTA SALATA WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND MARINATED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Combine the chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, peppercorns, salt, thyme, garlic, and shallots in a medium saucepan. Cut 2 lemons in half, and squeeze the juice through a small strainer directly into the saucepan. Set lemon halves aside.
• Using a paring knife, trim about 1/2 inch from top of each artichoke. Remove and discard outside leaves so all that remains is tender lighter-green leaves. Use paring knife to trim stem end, and peel away tough outer skin. Slice artichokes in half. If center core is very purple, carefully carve out purple center, and discard. Rub each artichoke with lemon halves, and place in saucepan. Cover surface of cooking liquid with rinsed-out cheese-cloth to help keep artichokes submerged during cooking.
• Set the pan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer until the artichokes are just fork tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow artichokes to cool in cooking liquid.
• Roast the red pepper on a grill or over a gas flame until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin by rubbing with a paper towel. Cut pepper in half, remove seeds and stem, and slice into long thin strips. Place the pepper strips in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Drain artichoke halves, discarding peppercorns and aromatics. Place in bowl. Squeeze juice of remaining lemon over artichokes, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using a knife, cut cheese into thin slices. Arrange cheese, peppers, and artichokes on serving plates. Place a quarter of the greens on each plate. Serve.