Vegetable And Ricotta Tortino Food

BAKED RICOTTA WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the asparagus and blanch 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Toss mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of the oil and sear in a small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Place ricotta in a bowl. Fold in the Parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, egg and egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in the cast-iron skillet. Gently swirl in the pesto, leaving streaks of it.
• Heat a broiler. Place the cast-iron skillet on a burner turned to low and let cook about 10 minutes, until heated through and showing signs of browning along the edges. Remove from heat. Scatter the asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes on top. Sprinkle with scallions and mint. Place under the broiler close to the source of heat until it starts to become lightly dappled, about 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile grill or toast the bread. Brush with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and rub with garlic. Serve the cheese and vegetables directly from the skillet, with grilled bread alongside.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Place spinach, water, and a pinch of salt in a pot over medium-high heat; cover pot and cook until spinach is completely wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the water; let spinach cool to room temperature in a colander.
• Soften ricotta cheese in a large bowl using a fork until creamy.
• Squeeze out any excess water from the cooled spinach. Finely chop spinach with a knife or process in a blender. Transfer to the bowl with ricotta. Add Parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; mix well.
• Divide pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Take 1 piece and cover the rest with plastic wrap. Flatten the piece between your palms and press through the widest setting of your pasta machine. Sprinkle flour over flattened pasta dough, fold in half lengthwise, and run through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, always flouring, folding, and passing through the widest setting until dough is smooth and even in size.
• Change pasta machine to the middle setting and pass dough through. Move pasta machine setting to the next to the last setting and pass dough through. Cut the sheet in half, widthwise. Pass each half through the pasta machine in the thinnest and last setting, creating 2 long and very thin sheets; gently transfer to a floured work surface, trimming edges. Cut into 2 even rectangles.
• Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Drop a teaspoon of ricotta filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water and fold over diagonally into a triangle shape. Press well to squeeze out any air. Stretch the 2 ends of the triangle and a fold them together, wrapping them around your finger; seal. Gently fold back the top corner.
• Transfer the tortellini to a floured plate or work surface. Proceed the same way with remaining dough and filling. Let tortellini stand for 30 minutes.
• Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil; cook tortellini, working in batches, until they float, 6 to 7 minutes.

VEGETABLE-AND-RICOTTA TORTINO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the peas and asparagus. Cook until the vegetables are just tender. Drain and immediately plunge the vegetables into a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• In a large kettle, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, celery and watercress. Begin adding the Swiss chard, stirring until the leaves fit into the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very tender. Season with salt and pepper and drain if necessary. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cream, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano, ricotta, Aleppo pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until smooth. Add the peas, asparagus and cooled vegetables and stir to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the tortino mixture into a large, lightly greased casserole dish, sprinkle with the black pepper and cover with foil. (Make sure it does not touch the vegetables.) Place the dish in a large roasting pan and pour in boiling water to rise halfway up the sides.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the center of the tortino is set, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the casserole from the roasting pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on the top. Place the casserole under a broiler until the cheese is nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, cut into squares and garnish with mint and serve.

RICOTTA TART: TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the pasta frolla: Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour but do not over mix; make sure that the mixture remains cool and does not become pasty. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm.
• For the Ricotta Filling: Place the ricotta in a large bowl stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla being careful not to over mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut off 1/2 of the pasta frolla and reserve. Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 14-inch disc and line a 9-inch cake pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Roll out the reserved dough into a 10-inch circle. Reserve. Pour the ricotta filling into the crust base. Lay the reserved 10-inch circle of dough on the top of the filling. Trim the excess so there is a 1/2 to 3/4-inch overhang. Take the flap of dough left on the edge of the ring and roll it on itself so that it rests completely within the pan.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg with a pinch of salt and a few drops of water to make an egg wash. Brush the surface of the torta with the beaten egg mixture. Place the torta in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

RICOTTA, VEGETABLE AND HAM PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter for about 5 minutes until most of the liquid is gone. Add grated zucchini and diced sweet red pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, ham and green onions to the pan, and stir well. Stir in spinach and remove pan from heat to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs and ricotta. Stir in parmesan, olive oil, dill, salt and pepper. Add the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
• Pour into a greased 12x8 inch pan and bake at 350F for 35 minutes, until set in the center. Alternatively, you can use a large quiche dish; it will be thicker so allow an extra 10 minutes of baking. Cool 5 minutes before cutting.

TORTINO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush a 3-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks; cook slowly until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove leeks; drain in a colander. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven; repeat cooking and draining process with celery. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven, and repeat cooking and draining process with Swiss chard.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream, ricotta, Aleppo pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Whisk until well combined.
• Add cooked vegetables to egg mixture; thoroughly combine. Pour into prepared baking dish. Spread evenly; cover with foil. Pull a rack out of the oven, and set a roasting pan on top; fill pan with 2 inches warm water. Place baking dish in roasting pan; slide rack back into oven. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until set, about 20 minutes.
• Heat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over the tortino. Place under broiler until lightly browned. Cut into squares, and serve warm.

TORTINO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat oil in 9-inch ovenproof skillet, preferably nonstick, on medium heat.
• Add leeks, garlic and zucchini and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in thyme leaves. Cool for 15 minutes.
• Beat together eggs, cream, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour over vegetables. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle over cheese and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until eggs are set.
• Slide out of skillet, cut into squares and serve either warm or at room temperature.