Ricotta Roasted Red Pepper Crostini Food

RICOTTA ROASTED RED PEPPER CROSTINI

Steps:

• WHILE CROSTINI ARE STILL WARM, rub garlic over baguette slices. Set aside. In a bowl, combine peppers, garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Spread ricotta over toasted crostini. Top with peppers and garnish with basil, if using.
• Gluten Free Option: I served this recipe on polenta circles at a friend's gathering who is gluten-free. They loved it! Use a tube of store-bought polenta, slice and panfry in oil; top with the ricotta and peppers. So easy.
• MAKES 20 PIECES.
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• Roasted Red Peppers
• Peperoni Rossi Arrostiti
• Each summer the abundance of Ontario's farmed red peppers is wonderful to take advantage of. It's worth picking up a bushel and taking them home to roast or turn into a sauce. Long Sheppard peppers are great as they have fewer seeds in them and a meaty flesh that is full of flavour.
• sweet red bell or Sheppard peppers (approx. 11 lb / 5 kg), washed ALLOW PEPPERS TO DRY. Preheat your grill or barbecue to medium-high heat. Fill the grill with peppers and close lid. Grill for 15 to 25 minutes, turning often, until skins are blistered and charred. Remove to a large bowl or baking sheet and repeat with remaining peppers.
• Let cool until peppers are easy enough to handle and remove skins and seeds (don't worry if there are some seeds sticking). Place peppers into small resealable bags, about 3 or 4 per bag and press out the air. Lay flat and freeze for up to 1 year. When you want to use them, simply let them come to room temperature or let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• Roasted Red Pepper Sauce: Puree roasted red peppers in a blender or food processor until smooth and freeze in airtight containers or resealable bags for up to 1 year.
• MAKES 10 PACKAGES.
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• Crostini
• Crostini are very versatile. There are seemingly infinite different toppings you can put on them. I like to cook these until they are lightly golden and still a bit soft in the centre; makes it easier to bite into it and not have it shatter. It's never a good thing to have your food all over the front of your shirt. My Zias would surely ask me to take my messy shirt off to wash it for me!
• Half a baguette, sliced into about ½-inch
• (1 cm) thick slices
• Tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) fresh ground pepper
• PREHEAT OVEN TO 400°F (200°C). Brush baguette slices with oil and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes or until they are light golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• MAKES ABOUT 20 CROSTINI.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND CHERRY TOMATOES WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place bell peppers, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish and top with anchovies and garlic. Tear 1/4 cup basil leaves over top, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil. Bake until peppers are tender but still hold their shape and are slightly charred around edges, 35-45 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, blend remaining 3/4 cup basil and remaining 1/3 cup oil in a blender until smooth; season basil oil with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Arrange bell peppers on a platter. Top with tomatoes, ricotta, olives, and more basil, then drizzle with basil oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.

SWEET PEPPER CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the oil over the bread slices. Bake until pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Arrange the bell pepper strips atop the bread. Sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER AND RICOTTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Puree ricotta, roasted red peppers, oil, Parmesan, and garlic in a food processor.
• Stir in parsley and oregano. Toss with hot pasta and serve.

RICOTTA AND ROASTED RED PEPPER FRITTATA

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the pecorino, parsley, 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, oregano, and eggs and season with black pepper & red pepper flakes (if using); set egg mixture aside.
• Heat the oil in a 10" nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add the remaining salt, onions, and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 20 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat.
• Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir to distribute the onions & scallions and potatoes evenly.
• Scatter the peppers over the top, spoon the ricotta over the mixture in 6 dollops, and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino.
• Bake until lightly browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes.
• Run a rubber spatula around the edges of the frittata to loosen it.
• Slide the frittata onto a serving plate; season with more black pepper, if you like.
• Enjoy!