Posts Tagged ‘Ricotta’

Cold Dinner

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It’s 100 plus degrees this week in LA and my interest in cooking dinner is coming in at a zero. I can’t fathom the idea of turning on the oven in our hot apartment with no a/c when the afternoon light is pounding on our windows. So I need some ideas for cold dinners.

Proscuitto wrapped nectarines

 

You can’t go wrong with Italian inspired appetizers for a satisfying cold dinner. Proscuitto wrapped white nectarines and wedges of cold melon.

 

Crostini with ricotta and fruit

And a platter of fresh ricotta cheese (if it weren’t so hot I would make the ricotta) with late summer fruit to pile on toasted bread brushed with olive oil and sea salt. Figs, peaches, nectarines, plums and tomatoes all go really well with ricotta cheese and a sprinkle of fresh mint.

 

What are your go to cold dinners? I need ideas for tomorrow 🙂

 

xo,

LEH

Meatless Monday: Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

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Flaky buttery puff pastry slathered in a lemony layer of fluffy ricotta cheese topped with sweet zucchini and savory fresh thyme. Sounds good right?

zucchini tart

This simple to make (we promise this time) tart is one of our new favorite recipes. We are recommending it as an elegant appetizer in our Dinner Party Blueprints and it is garnering rave reviews at work as a lunch dish paired with a mixed green salad.

zucchini tart

Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Serves 2 for lunch or 4-6 as an appetizer

1 sheet all butter frozen puff pastry, thawed per the package instructions

1 1/2 cups good quality ricotta cheese

zest of one small lemon

salt and pepper

1-2 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4inch thick rounds

1/4 cup grated gruyure cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Defrost the puff pastry sheet according to the package instructions which takes at least 45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay the rectangle of puff onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Using a fork, make pinpricks all around the center of the tart dough leaving a 1 inch border on each of the four sides. Mix the ricotta with a pinch of salt and pepper and the lemon zest. Top the pricked section of the dough with the ricotta cheese into a thin but even layer. Slightly layer the sliced zucchini on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle the zucchini with a dusting of salt, shredded gruyere and chopped fresh thyme. Brush the exposed edges of puff dough with egg wash. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes until the dough if puffed and the edges have browned. Try not open the oven door while it bakes, use you oven light if possible. Allow to cool for 10 minutes to room temperature and them slice into wedges or small, bite sized squares.

xo,

LEH

Meatless Monday: Skillet Pizza

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It took moving to California for me to like pizza.  Makes no sense, I know, but I just can’t hack the spicy sauce and unctuous bricks of melting mozzarella that characterize a true Chicago pie.  Milder cheeses and oven-roasted greens on nutty, toasted flatbread, however, make me happy.

This pizza works with whatever toppings you like.  Add roasted butternut squash for another colorful Meatless Monday option.

Lou Malnati’s it isn’t, but California-style pizza is its own special dish.

I took the idea for a skillet pizza from the cover of last month’s Sunset Magazine.  You can also use a pizza stone or baking sheet.

xoxosl

Skillet Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Ricotta and Kale

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

1 onion, sliced into thin half moons

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and sliced into chiffonade

1 ball (~1 lb) pizza dough (I like using one ball from the Martha recipe or buying Whole Foods prepared whole wheat dough at the pizza counter)

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over gentle heat until caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.  Add the garlic once the onions have caramelized, stirring occasionally until fragrant and just brown, about 2 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

While the onion caramelize, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons salt and the kale, boiling until the kale softens and turns bright green, about 3 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Heat a large, oven-proof frying pan over medium-low heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl so that the oil coats the pan.

Working on a lightly floured surface, press the dough down with your hands until you’ve formed a 13-inch round.  Lay the round into the hot pan (the sides of the dough will come up the sides of the pan).  Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the dough out onto a plate.  Coat the pan with the remaining tablespoon olive oil and return the dough to the pan, golden side up.  Be sure to press the dough down into the pan so all the uncooked dough comes into contact with the hot surface.

Spread the ricotta over the golden brown surface of the cooked dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around.  Sprinkle with caramelized onions and then the kale.  Add a sprinkle of sea salt, pepper and red chili flakes to taste. Brush the outer crust with 1 teaspoon olive oil to give it extra sheen and flavor.

Bake in pan in oven until crust is crisp and cooked through and the kale has just started to char, about 20 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve immediately.