Three ways with ...
It’s yummy dolloped on crackers, but there’s ‘whey’ more uses for this light (but waist-friendly) versatile cheese. .
Long before supermarkets invented the sales ruse of ‘‘buy one get one free’’, cheesemakers were already wise to the ultimate ‘‘twofor’’ deal.
Ricotta, that light, lovely, creamy-tasting stuff in tubs is made from the whey left behind in cheese production. This means it’s low in fat (which is important to some people), and a good use of resources (equally important to others). Crucially, it’s also extremely useful to the cook, even if he or she is just eating it on crackers while they decide what to have for dinner. Here are a few more ways to use it.
Ricotta and raspberry cake
Makes one large cake, serves 8-10 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Light, delectable and drizzled with (naturally) Barbie-pink icing – what more could you want in a cake? It’s also very easy to make, and keeps well if given the chance.
1 cup frozen raspberries, crushed slightly with your hands Finely grated zest of one lemon 1 cups caster sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract cup extra virgin olive oil cup rice bran oil 1 cup ricotta 2 cups plain flour 3 teaspoons baking powder
teaspoon salt For the icing:
cup frozen raspberries, thawed Juice of one lemon 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Thoroughly grease a 24cm ring or bundt tin and set aside.
Put cup of the raspberries, the lemon zest and the sugar in a bowl. Use a fork or a stick blender to mix them together until well blended (you can also do this in a food processor).
When the sugar is uniformly pink, beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Keep beating and slowly add the ricotta, followed by the oils. Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir gently to mix. Fold in the remaining raspberries and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer plunged into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.
For the icing, mash the raspberries and lemon juice together. Push this mixture through a mini sieve into the sifted icing sugar. Mix well until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cake before serving.
Spinach and ricotta spaghetti with pine nuts
10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes
Remember when ricotta and spinach cannelloni was a thing? This is a heck of a lot easier to put together after work, not least because you can make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
4 packed cups baby spinach (about 200g) 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup ricotta A generous grating of fresh nutmeg 2-3 tablespoons toasted pinenuts 300-400g dried spaghetti (100g per person)
Set a large pot of water (in which to cook the pasta) over high heat. When it boils, add a handful of salt and the pasta.
Put the spinach in a large, heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water (from the kettle) and let sit for one minute, then drain and squeeze to get rid of the water. Chop roughly and put in a blender or food processor. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and gently fry the garlic until just
This is the way I eat ricotta most often. It’s not a recipe so much as a suggestion for a sustaining breakfast that can be made in minutes and still feels like a treat. It’s a great pick-me-up when you have to get out the door in a hurry, but it’s even better when you can eat it in a leisurely fashion while listening to music and doing the crossword.
2 slices best quality bread – sourdough or something grainy 4 generous tablespoons ricotta 2-3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2-3 squares best quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Toast the bread until it is very crisp, but not burnt. Spread each slice generously with the ricotta, then drizzle the marmalade on top. Sprinkle over the chocolate and serve. More of Lucy’s recipes at kitchen-maid.blogspot.co.nz