Asparagus Ricotta Strudel Vegetarian Or Not Your Choice Food

ONE-POT PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine the pasta, onions, garlic, asparagus, broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the frozen peas and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top with dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

ASPARAGUS STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF
• Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat.
• Add garlic and leeks and sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in mint and orange rind, season with salt and pepper and cool.
• Combine leek mixture with goat cheese.
• Lay pastry on a floured surface and roll out to a 10 x 14-inch rectangle.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide cheese mixture in half.
• Pile half of mixture along upper third of pastry lengthwise, leaving a 1-inch wide border on short sides and top.
• Lay asparagus spears evenly over top of filling.
• Cover with remaining cheese mixture.
• Brush all inside edges of pastry with beaten egg.
• Fold pastry over filling and tuck ends under.
• Slash top of strudel on the diagonal every 2-inches.
• Brush with egg.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

ASPARAGUS & RICOTTA STRUDEL (VEGETARIAN OR NOT YOUR CHOICE.)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375.
• Combine ricotta cheese, parmesan, dill, ham (if using), roasted pepper, green onion, egg white, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; set aside.
• Snap asparagus. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook, covered, in a small amount of water for about 5 minutes or just till crisp tender (don't overcook). Drain. Cool under cold water. Stir into ricotta mixture.
• Place one sheet of phyllo on a dry towel (keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel). Spray with Pam. Place another sheet of phyllo atop. Spray with Pam. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the bread crumbs. Repeat with remaining sheets and remaining bread crumbs. Spray last layer with Pam. Spoon cheese mixture lenghwise onto half of the top layer of phyllo, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border on all sides. Fold in the shor sides over the filling. Starting from the longest side, roll up layers jelly roo style.
• Spray a large baking sheet with Pam. Place strudel, seam side down, on baking sheet. Spray with Pam. Using a sharp knife, score into 12 slices, cutting through top layer only. Bake in a 375 oven for 30 minutes or till light brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into slices.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, ARUGULA AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the asparagus. Cook pencil-thin asparagus for two minutes, three to four minutes if stems are medium-thick. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions for timing on the package but checking a minute before the suggested cooking time. Stir 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water into the ricotta. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the olive oil and ricotta, the arugula, asparagus and Parmesan. Serve hot.

MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Saute shallots and mushrooms until most of the moisture has evaporated.
• Mix in asparagus and saute until slightly tender.
• Cool slightly.
• Spinkle with parsley, lemon zest, lemon joice, pepper and 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese. Mix.
• Brush first sheet of phylio with olive oil and spinkle with 1/4 tsp tyme. Repeat with the remaining phylio sheets, stacking one on top of the other with the longer sides parallel to the counter's edge.
• Place filling along the longer edge o phylio and roll inot a log, ticking in the sides to prevent mixture from falling out.
• Brush strudel with olive oil and top with remaining cheese.
• Place on parchment-paper lined baking sheet with seam o the bottom and cut three slits widhwise into the top of the strudel.
• Bake for about 17 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool slightly.
• Slice whre strudel is slit to make four equal portions, then serve.

BAKED RICOTTA WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the asparagus and blanch 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Toss mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of the oil and sear in a small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Place ricotta in a bowl. Fold in the Parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, egg and egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in the cast-iron skillet. Gently swirl in the pesto, leaving streaks of it.
• Heat a broiler. Place the cast-iron skillet on a burner turned to low and let cook about 10 minutes, until heated through and showing signs of browning along the edges. Remove from heat. Scatter the asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes on top. Sprinkle with scallions and mint. Place under the broiler close to the source of heat until it starts to become lightly dappled, about 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile grill or toast the bread. Brush with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and rub with garlic. Serve the cheese and vegetables directly from the skillet, with grilled bread alongside.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet, heat three tablespoons butter and add the shallots. Cook until soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains become opaque and are thoroughly coated with the butter.
• Turn up heat and add white wine, stirring continuously. When evaporated, add hot chicken stock a ladle at a time and keep rice at a gentle simmer, stirring all the time.
• Cut the asparagus into one-inch slices on the diagonal. When the rice is still slightly hard in the middle (after about 15 minutes), stir in the asparagus and continue cooking, ladling in more stock, until the rice is al dente. It should be creamy, a little chewy but firm to the bite. Add the peas to the mixture about three minutes before the end of cooking.
• Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle risotto with crumbled ricotta salata. Freshly grated Parmesan may be passed at the table.

ASPARAGUS STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a small saute pan, melt the butter, add the garlic and onions and crumbled pepper, about 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm and liquid.
• Using parchment facilitates rolling the strudel.
• Work on parchment to moisten your phyllo and ultimately, you can transfer the parchment to a jellyroll pan.
• Lay out one sheet of phyllo, and be sure to cover the rest with a damp well-wrung out tea towel.
• Use the butter to brush on the phyllo dough (bits of the onion and garlic can be included). Sprinkle with bread crumbs in every other layer of phyllo. Continue brushing all sheets with butter, stacking them and crumbing every other layer. Reserve a bit of the cheese and bread crumbs to sprinkle on the completed strudel.
• Toss the asparagus into the pan with the butter just to pick up some flavor. Take the asparagus and divide in 2 even batches. Lay batches end to end in the lower third of the phyllo square. A border of about 1 1/2-2" should remain on either side of the asparagus.
• Begin rolling the strudel by first folding the borders over the ends of the bunches. This will create a "closed" end to your strudel. Brush the borders with butter to ensure they don't break and to seal them. Carefully roll the strudel, making sure the ends stay closed. Be careful not to tear the phyllo.
• Brush the strudel with butter and sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs.
• Transfer the completed strudel to a jellyroll pan with the parchment paper.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until browned.
• Regarding asparagus -- If they are in season and you'd like to use fresh, you can roast or saute them. Make sure they are cooled before proceeding with assembly.