Pasta Salad With Ricotta Salata And Broccolini Food

PASTA WITH SEARED ZUCCHINI AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook farro pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
• Meanwhile, cut zucchini into 1 1/2-inch lengths.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and let heat for 30 seconds. Add zucchini in one layer and cook without touching or moving for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme, flip the zucchini and cook 3 more minutes while stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until tomatoes start to break down. Stir in the al dente pasta, lemon zest and crumbled cheese. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and serve garnished with more fresh thyme, ricotta salata and lemon wedges.

TAGLIOLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with a pinch of salt. Let the tomatoes sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This will help draw out some excess moisture from the tomatoes that will help create the sauce. Add the onions, zucchini, asparagus, basil, oregano, garlic, red pepper, olive oil and vinegar and season generously with salt; taste to make sure it's delicious and adjust the seasoning if needed. Let the sauce sit for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
• Add two-thirds of the sauce to a large skillet and bring to medium-high heat--the idea is to heat up the sauce without really cooking it so you maintain the raw integrity of the veggies.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still toothsome, 2 to 3 minutes--you don't want any limp noodles. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water if needed and stir vigorously. If the pasta needs it, add the reserved sauce (if it's not needed, then you have lunch for tomorrow!). Cook the pasta together with the sauce until the pasta water has evaporated. Give the pasta a drizzle of big fat finishing oil and stir vigorously again. Divide among individual serving dishes and top with the ricotta salata.

PASTA WITH LEMON, HERBS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and add enough salt so that you can taste it. Bring to a boil. Pour the chicken broth into a small saucepan, drop in the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Remove garlic. Shut off the heat; add the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste. It should be highly seasoned because this will be the sauce for the pasta. Keep warm. Place 4 serving bowls in a low oven.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. After five minutes, ladle out about 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta, shake, then return it to the pot. Place over low heat and pour in the chicken broth. Sprinkle in the mint, marjoram and fennel and a little olive oil. Stir. The pasta should be brothy and lemony. Add some of the reserved cooking water, salt and more lemon juice, if needed.
• Spoon into bowls so that the pasta is lying in a bit of broth. Crumble the ricotta over top, sprinkle with a dash more oil and grind pepper over the top. Serve.

SUMMER TOMATO SALAD WITH RICOTTA SALATA AND CREAMY GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Arrange tomatoes on a platter. Toss fennel in a bowl with a few tablespoons of the creamy garlic dressing and season with salt and pepper. Mound the fennel in the middle of the platter on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the herbs, cheese and olives and drizzle with some more of the creamy garlic dressing.
• Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper to taste.

PASTA SALAD WITH RICOTTA SALATA AND BROCCOLINI

Steps:

• Trim and discard the bottom 1/2-inch from the broccolini. Then cut the broccolini into 1-inch pieces. Steam broccolini covered in small skillet in 1/2 inch boiling water for 3 minutes, cold shock, and drain. Combine broccolini and pasta in a bowl.
• Return pan to stove over low heat and saute shallots and garlic in oil 2 minutes. Pour warm oil over pasta and broccolini. Crumble ricotta salata over pasta. Sprinkle the pasta with thyme, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine. Adjust seasonings and garnish salad with halved grape tomatoes.

BROCCOLINI- RICOTTA PASTA

Steps:

• Put water on to boil for your pasta.
• Salt water and cook off pasta, about 7 to 8 minutes to al dente, with a bite to it. Drain and return pasta to hot pot.
• While pasta cooks, place broccolini in 1-inch of water in a sauce pot and bring up to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the trimmed broccolini. Cover and cook 5 minutes, drain and reserve.
• Once pasta is cooked, drain it and toss it with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, butter, ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Toss pasta to coat it in the cheese and butter. Season it with salt, to your taste.

BUCATINI AMATRICIANA WITH RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• If using, cut pancetta into i/4 inch dice. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, until it crisps and renders its fat, about 10 minutes. Remove pancetta and set aside. Break into small pieces when cooled. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and discard.
• Add oil and onion and cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add red pepper flakes then add tomatoes and crush against the pan if using whole. Cook, stir and crush tomatoes into small bits, for 5 minutes.
• Simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While sauce cooks, bring large pot of water to a rolling boil with salt (about 1 Tbsp for every 2 quarts - it should be salty). Fifteen minutes before sauce is done, add pasta to water. Stir and then cook until al dente, 11-12 minutes or according to package directions.
• Reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water, drain pasta in colander. Add butter and toss quickly, then transfer to pan with sauce. Stir until strands are thinly but evenly coated. Add a little cooking liquid if pasta seems dry. Add half Ricotta Salata and stir to combine well.
• Transfer pasta to large bowl or platter and sprinkle with pancetta and remaining cheese. Serve hot.
• For Vegetarian omit the pancetta or use vegetarian bacon.