Roasted Ricotta Slices

Thanks to Sitting On Top Of Our World for the suggestion above.

Remember a couple of weeks ago I was working through piles of ricotta.

Silverhill suggested slicing the ricotta and then roasting it in the oven and using it for antipasto platters.

I did not add oil or anything, just roasted it in a moderate oven until it browned and enjoyed it with my home cured olives. It reminds me a little of grilled haloumi and the texture is wonderful.

Do try this as it is so easy and something different to add to your platters and relatively low fat. 

Power Packed Day and Ricotta Spinach Pie

I have had the best day FULL of energy and vitality.

I'm at a loss as to where it came from and I haven't had a burst like that for months.

I felt years younger today.

Could it be I was mentally enthused when I got home from work yesterday to find Craig had vacuumed, dusted some and brought the washing in and put clean sheets back on the bed.

It's awesome to have help like that but what he probably doesn't realise is that the greatest gift he has given me is the chance to go straight to the other jobs that always seem to be waiting.

After cleaning the bathroom first thing I swept the whole house exterior for cobwebs and dust then washed all the windows inside and out. 

After Craig fixed the cap on the chimney flue, I swept a quarter of the roof of creosote dust (very corrosive on the Colourbond don't you know) and then washed out the gutter. I swept the back path and landing and hosed it clean then pulled off the last of the dead green bean vines and saved some more seed.

Next was a big harvest of spinach and greens to make use of more ricotta.

After a thorough wash and chop, onions, chilies and garlic from the garden added to our precious eggs (the girls are only supplying one egg a day at the moment) and more ricotta and into a filo pastry shell (sorry Kat don't have quite that much energy to make my own filo-drawing the line girl) and 

voila (not walah - it's French people)

A massive pie.

I have also made another batch of the Tomato Ricotta Gnocchi and frozen them (gasp!)

(I know but I have to get through all these kilos of ricotta)

AND I have made another Lime Almond Ricotta Cake.

More washing,

more folding,

keep the fire going....and....

I'm done!

If you have read this all the way through, thank you for allowing me to skite and celebrate a wonderful day full of energy. Some of you will be only in your 20's and 30's and you will wonder what all the fuss is about. I too thought I would always have plenty of steam. 

So make hay while the sun shines, it certainly did on me today (literally it was beautiful and warm today Claire)

Only 1.25kg of ricotta to go people and I have just found a recipe for a Blueberry Ricotta cake,

maybe tomorrow....

Almond and Lemon/Lime Ricotta Cake

I found this recipe at Taste and as I only had one lemon I used two Tahitian Limes that a patient gave me on Friday.

So...thus Lemon/Lime.

Can I please indulge in a Nigella moment of flirty food bliss...

I keep a vanilla pod in my caster sugar jar and every time I decant a cup into a mixture I am in vanilla scented heaven, but more....

even more sublime was the fragrance from zesting the Tahitian Limes into the mixture,

so exotic and heady,

very un-wintery.

At this point after mixing the ricotta, egg, sugar,melted butter and juice and zest in the food processor, I have a velvety pale lemon, creamy mass of citrus flummery.

Enough!

Flour and almond meal is folded in and it is cooked in a springform pan in just 30 short minutes.

I don't know for sure but I bet you could freeze this.

On the scales of good and evil, this is relatively low in fat (90g of melted butter and whatever is in the ricotta) as far as cakes go and moderate in sugar content.

\

Only three more kilos of ricotta to go!

Ricotta Week!

Gnocchi alla ricotta e pomodoro

I have acquired 4 kg of ricotta and it must be used!

Here is a recipe you simply must try.

It is simple and tasty and I would happily serve this for entree to my guests or as a homely winter meal.

Tomato Ricotta Gnocchi

2 eggs 

375g fresh ricotta

1 cup of tomato paste

2 cups of plain flour

butter and olive oil

oregano or basil

garlic

Parmesan

In a bowl combine the eggs, ricotta and tomato paste.

On your work surface heap the flour and make a little well.

Add to this the ricotta mixture and work together like you are making a dough but don't over work it.

Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour and divide your mixture by four and roll them into a sausage about 2cm thick.

Slice the sausage shape on the diagonal about 1cm thick and drop into a pot of boiling water in small batches.

Cook until they rise to the top and are tender.

Remove them to drain on a plate with a clean tea towel (cause we don't use paper towel do we *wink*)

In a frying pan, heat the butter/oil and saute the garlic and add the gnocchi. I crumbles in some of our dried oregano from summer, fresh basil would be nice.

The idea is to toss to coat like a dressing but I like to fry them a bit to get a crisp texture on the outside to contrast with the soft doughiness on the inside.

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan.