Ricotta Broccolini Pasta Food

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA SKILLET

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
• Mix together the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Tear the sausage into 1- to 2-inch chunks and place in the skillet. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, then flip and cook for an additional minute. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the broccolini and jarred peppers. Using a ladle, remove 2/3 cup cooking water from the pasta pot and add to the skillet. Cook until the sauce is thickened and the broccolini is softened, about 3 minutes.
• Drain the pasta once cooked.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pasta, lemon juice, yellow tomatoes and Parmesan. Dollop on the ricotta mixture; tear the basil leaves into large pieces and sprinkle them over the skillet. Serve the bread alongside the pasta, whole or torn into large chunks.

SHEET-PAN SPICY ROASTED BROCCOLI PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together broccoli, oil, cumin (if using), 3/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Roast until tender and browned at the edges, 18 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
• In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, panko, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the black pepper.
• Toss cooked pasta with broccoli on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dollop with ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan mix, drizzle generously with oil, and broil until topping is crisped and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste, and serve.

CHARRED BROCCOLINI WITH HOMEMADE RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until smoking. In a medium bowl, drizzle the broccolini with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat. Place the broccolini on the hot pan or griddle but do not crowd (if using a 12-inch cast iron you can do two batches) Allow to sear, undisturbed, for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges of the florets are a deep brown and the stems are tender and bright green with charring on the edges. Turn off the heat. Return the broccolini to the bowl. Season with a couple turns of black pepper. Add the grated garlic and lemon zest and toss to coat. Season to taste.
• To serve, spoon some Ricotta (recipe follows) in the center of a plate. Arrange the broccolini around the cheese, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if using, flakey salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
• Line a colander or large sieve with 1 layer of very fine cheesecloth (or 2 to 3 layers of more porous cloth) and set over a large bowl.
• To make the cheese, combine the milk and salt in a non-reactive pot over medium heat. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally until it reaches 175 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until chunks form and separate from the whey (this happens within 30 seconds or so). Don't stir too often or vigorously or the curds will break. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds into the prepared cheesecloth-lined sieve. Allow to sit and strain for 20 minutes. Serve immediately at room temperature or transfer the ricotta cheese into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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.

SICILIAN STICK TO YOUR RIBS MEAL: MEATLOAF BRASCIOLE (ROLL UPS), PASTA, BROCCOLINI AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put water on to boil for your pasta.
• Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula or spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly.
• Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve. Make pasta while meat is in the oven.
• 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.
• To hot, cooked pasta add 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. Portion pasta onto dinner plates alongside meat roll slices and top pasta with tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.

SHELLS WITH BROCCOLI RABE & PANCETTA

Steps:

• Bring a large (11 by 5 1/2-inch) pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccoli rabe and slice the rest crosswise in 2-inch pieces. When the water boils, cook the broccoli rabe for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. With a wire skimmer or tongs, lift the broccoli rabe (don't drain the pot!) into a large bowl and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil, add the shells, and cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan, add the pancetta, and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is browned. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the broccoli rabe and red pepper flakes and toss well. Add the cooked shells, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and toss. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until all the ingredients are heated through, adding enough of the reserved cooking water so the pasta isn't dry. Serve hot in large shallow bowls with a large dollop of ricotta and drizzled with olive oil, and with grated Parmesan on the side.

RICOTTA, BROCCOLI & LEMON PENNE

Steps:

• Boil the pasta with the leeks for 7 mins, then add the broccoli and boil for 5 mins more until just tender.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil and fry the pepper with the rosemary, chilli and garlic in a large non-stick pan for 5 mins until softened.
• Drain the pasta and veg, reserving a little water, then tip the pasta and veg into the pan. Add the lemon zest and juice, ricotta, and some pasta water. Pile into bowls.

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUSAGE WITH A RICOTTA SURPRISE

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Heads up: you will need to use about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking liquid for the sauce before you drain the pasta.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, salt, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper. Reserve the ricotta mixture on the countertop and let it come to room temp. The flavors of the cheese and lemon will develop as the cheese warms up.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the sausage and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon into small bite-size pieces. Really go at breaking the meat up; it will make a big difference in the end. Cook the meat until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. While the sausage is browning, prepare the broccoli. Cut the broccoli tops into small florets. Remove the fibrous outer layer of the stem (just square it off using your knife), then thinly slice the tender center portion of the stem.
• Once the sausage is brown, remove it to a paper-towel-lined plate. Return the skillet to the heat and add all of the broccoli and the chopped onion. Spread the veggies out in an even layer in the pan, season with some salt and pepper, and let the broccoli brown up a bit before stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook 2 minutes more. Add the sausage back to the skillet along with the chicken stock. Ladle in some cooking water from the pasta and bring up to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli is tender and the liquids have reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and cooked, well-drained pasta. Toss to combine and simmer 1 last minute to allow the pasta to soak in the sauce and flavors. Turn the heat off, add the grated cheese, and toss to combine.
• To serve, place a large dollop of the pepper-lemon-ricotta mixture into each of 4 shallow bowls and bury it with hot pasta. Once you are at the table, mix it up with a fork to distribute the ricotta cheese. Serve with extra grated cheese.