Radicchio Flat Bread With Whipped Ricotta Food

RADICCHIO FLAT BREAD WITH WHIPPED RICOTTA

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, water, and sugar in a large bowl, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the oil until combined. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead with floured hands until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm, draft-free spot for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to 8 by 5 inches. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Divide radicchio among flatbread, and gently press into dough. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until flatbread is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk ricotta in a small bowl until lightened. Drizzle flatbread with oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve flatbread with ricotta.

RADICCHIO ROLLS WITH RICOTTA AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a two-quart gratin or baking dish. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the radicchio leaves. Blanch for two minutes, then transfer to the ice water. Drain and dry on paper towels.
• Blend together the ricotta, the egg yolk, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Place a heaped tablespoon on a radicchio leaf, tuck the sides of the leaves in over the filling and roll up the leaf. Divide the mixture among the remaining radicchio leaves, and roll them up. Place in the baking dish, seam side down. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
• Bake 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

GRILLED RADICCHIO WITH RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine the anchovy paste, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Whisk until smooth and combined.
• Place the radicchio in the pan and grill until charred and starting to wilt, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to the bowl with the dressing and toss well to coat. Top with the ricotta salata and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.

WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH CRUDITE AND GARLIC TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler to high.
• Combine the ricotta, lemon zest and juice in a food processor; season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with the 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
• Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle each slice with olive oil. Broil until golden, flipping once and watching closely, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately rub each slice with the garlic and sprinkle with salt.
• Arrange the garlic toasts and crudite on a serving platter and serve with the whipped ricotta.

RADICCHIO, WALNUTS & RICOTTA RAVIOLI

Steps:

• add the flour to the mixer bowl.
• start at low speed with a dough attachment.
• slowly incorporate the lightly beaten eggs.
• slowly incorporate the salt and the oil.
• mix on low speed for 8-10 minutes.
• remove from the mixer and rest on a dusted working surface.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30-60 minutes to give the gluten the opportunity to relax. You can optionally divide it in five parts and wrap them individually to make the next step easier.
• put a tablespoon of EVOO and the garlic on a large saute pan on very low heat.
• cut the radicchio in small pieces, rinse and dry.
• add the radicchio to the pan and mix well with the oil.
• add the red wine - with or without alcohol.
• set on medium fire and cook with a lid, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
• make sure the liquid does not evaporate completely, have some more wine ready if needed. Substitute with small quantities of water if preferred.
• Walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, checking often or cook in a skillet at medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Beat the walnuts down to half pea size.
• Remove the extra cooking liquid from the radicchio (if any), remove the garlic and process in a blender or - better - with an immersion blender for more accurate texture.
• add the walnuts and process a bit more: the mix needs to retain texture but it also needs to be easily shaped.
• add salt and pepper to taste, mix well and incorporate the ricotta with a spoon.
• set aside, cover and refrigerate.
• flatten the dough on a lightly floured working surface with the help of a rolling pin, fold 1/3 of the sheet on itself from each side.
• repeat 3-4 times.
• keeping the working surface dusted, make it paper thin and cut out (with a pizza cutter) rectangles that can barely cover the moulds.
• work more on each individual sheet so it will fit loosely on the mould.
• generously dust the side of the sheet that will be touching the mould.
• cover with the first sheet.
• gently press the dough inside each part of the mould.
• you can now add the filling! the quantity obviously depends on what kind are you using: no matter what, too much filling is a bad idea. make it so it can be easily pressed and become flat.
• add a second sheet of dough to cover, gently press with your hands to make a flat surface.
• gently pass a rolling pin on top, increasing the the pressure when you see it's adequate to seal the ravioli.
• flip to release from the mould and voilá! depending on the thickness of the dough, all the ravioli may result already separated or they may need to be cut.
• Boil the ravioli in salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain well and season with some oil and grated Parmiggiano cheese -- It was all worth the ride, enjoy.

BALSAMIC-MARINATED RADICCHIO WITH FRESH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Whisk together vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 cup oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
• Put radicchio in a 4-sided sheet pan and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add hot radicchio to balsamic marinade and gently toss to coat. Cover bowl (to keep heat in) and marinate, tossing once or twice, at least 1 hour.
• Transfer radicchio to a serving dish, pouring some of marinade over top. Scatter basil over radicchio. Drizzle ricotta with oil in a small bowl and serve with radicchio.
• What to drink:
• Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano '07

PAN-SEARED RADICCHIO WITH SOFT CHEESE

Steps:

• Quarter the radicchio head lengthwise and slice the hard white core off of each piece, then cut each quarter in half crosswise. Don't separate the leaves.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and carefully nestle the chopped radicchio into the pan, leaving it alone to sear on one side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir for a few seconds. The radicchio leaves may separate and start to smell like roasted broccoli or kale. Immediately remove the pan from the heat so the leaves don't wilt too much. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the cheese, placing some pieces directly over the radicchio and others in the empty spots of the pan. The cheese will start to melt and bulge slightly. Drizzle the vinegar and honey evenly over the radicchio and cheese, and finish with a final sprinkling of salt, if you'd like.
• Serve right in the pan with crusty bread for dipping into the melty cheese and pan juices.

RADICCHIO FLATBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine yeast, water and sugar. Let stand until foamy (5 minutes).
• Stir in flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and oil until combined.
• Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until smooth (2-5 minutes). Transfer dough to oiled bowl, turn to cover all sides and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 20-30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide dough into quarters.
• On a floured board roll out each piece to a rectangle 8 inches x 5 inches. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (there will be 4 rectangles). Divide rdicchio among dough and press into dough. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crisp.
• Whisk ricotta cheese in a small bowl until lightened.
• Drizzle baked bread with oil, season with salt and pepper.
• Serve flatbread with whipped ricotta.

ROASTED RADICCHIO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in the center. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, combine 2 tablespoons oil and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Arrange radicchio in the skillet, placing 1 sprig of rosemary underneath and on top of each wedge. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon vinegar over radicchio. Season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil. Roast until tender and caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes.

CROSTINI WITH FRESH RICOTTA AND GRILLED RADICCHIO

Steps:

• Slice the top and bottom of orange with a paring knife. Set one of the flat sides on your work surface. From top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit, cut away peel and white pith. Trim off any remaining pith. Holding the orange over a bowl, cut along both sides of each segment, staying close to the membrane, to release; set aside.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush radicchio wedges with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; grill, turning, until softened and slightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill and set aside.
• Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.
• Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta on each slice of baguette. Top with grilled radicchio and drizzle with honey; garnish each with an orange segment. Season with Maldon sea salt and pepper; serve.