Orecchiette Celery And Olive Salad With Ricotta Salata Food

ORECCHIETTE WITH GREENS, GARBANZO BEANS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and discard. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted. In batches, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta, 1/2 of the cheese, and lemon zest. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.
• Transfer to a large serving bowl and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.

MARINATED BEANS WITH CELERY AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Toss beans, celery, oil, vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. thyme in a large bowl to combine; season generously with salt.
• Just before serving, transfer beans to a shallow bowl and top with ricotta salata, pepper, and more thyme.
• Do Ahead
• Bean salad (without celery and ricotta salata) can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

ORECCHIETTE WITH GRATED SQUASH, WALNUTS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Begin heating a large pot of water. When it comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and keep at a simmer.
• Meanwhile, peel the squash (I use a vegetable peeler for this), cut it into chunks that will fit your food processor tube fitted with the grater blade, and grate. Alternately, grate with the large holes of a box grater.
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the grated squash and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the squash has softened. Add the garlic, walnuts and half the marjoram or all of the sage and cook, stirring, for another minute. Turn the heat down to medium.
• Add 1/2 cup of the water for the pasta and cook for another couple of minutes, until it has been absorbed and evaporated from the pan. Add another 1/2 cup water and continue to cook for another 3 minutes, or until the squash mixture is tender and moist. Taste, adjust salt, and add a generous amount of pepper. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.
• Bring the pot of water back to a rolling boil and add the orecchiette. Cook al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking water to the squash mixture before draining, then drain the pasta and toss with the squash, along with the remaining marjoram and the ricotta salata. Serve hot.

ORECCHIETTE CON RICOTTA E POMODORINI: ORECCHIETTE PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a pot of boiling water, cook the pasta for about 8 minutes (remove before the 'al dente' stage). While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the cherry tomatoes for about a minute. Add salt to taste.
• Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
• Add the cooked pasta and ricotta cheese to the pan. Ladle in some pasta water - the excess pasta water will break down the ricotta cheese, creating a creamy sauce.
• Cook pasta in the pan with all the other ingredients for another minute. Top with cilantro, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

CELERY & OLIVE SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium-sized glass or plastic bowl, stir together celery, olives, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
• Serve as an accompaniment to fish or meat.

PASTA SALAD WITH MELON, PANCETTA, AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Arrange pancetta in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. (Alternatively, place pancetta on folded layers of paper towels on a microwave-proof plate and microwave on high until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.) Let pancetta stand until cool enough to handle, then break into bite-size pieces.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta; run under cold water to cool. Drain and set aside.
• Whisk oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Add half of pancetta, cooked pasta, melon, half of mint, scallion, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining pancetta and mint over. Garnish with shaved ricotta salata.

ORECCHIETTE WITH CHARD AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Separate the chard leaves from ribs with a knife. Wash the leaves and transfer to a pot, with just water clinging to them. Cover and cook over moderate heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain, pressing out excess water, but don't squeeze them dry. Chop coarsely.
• Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and hot pepper flakes and saute until garlic is lightly covered, about 2 minutes. Add greens, season highly with salt and pepper and toss to coat with seasonings. Keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return pasta to pot and add remaining tablespoon of oil. Toss until coated, then add greens and toss again. Grate ricotta salata over the pasta and toss again, adding some reserved water if needed to keep pasta moist.
• Transfer to warm plates.

BAKED RICOTTA ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and garlic in a large, 3-quart baking dish. Drizzle generously with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat everything. Make a well in the center of the dish and drop in the ricotta cheese. Drizzle the ricotta with remaining olive oil and give it a generous pinch more of pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Switch the oven to broil at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and continue to cook until desired blistering and browning occurs, 2 to 4 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Remove the baked ricotta dish from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack.
• Add thyme leaves, then stir the ricotta to break it up. Stir in fresh basil, parsley, and lemon juice. Add the reserved pasta water to loosen things up if needed. Taste and adjust salt if desired. Add the orecchiette and stir until everything is coated. Serve.