I've got 12 ounces of ricotta and no recipe to use it in. Can you help?!
I've got 12 ounces of ricotta and no recipe to use it in. Can you help?
I bought it for a specific recipe, but then I ended up not making that recipe. It's whole-milk and decent quality, but it's not "artisanal". It's probably not enough for a whole lasagne recipe, and FYI, I live in the Pacific Northwest so really good, ripe, local tomatoes won't arrive around here for about a month. What do I do with this ricotta? Please share a recipe of your own (or at least a friend or family member's recipe that you've tried yourself and really like), NOT a link. Thanks!
Answers:
If it is a decent quality, you might consider enjoying it plain with a bit of honey. It is eaten this way in Italy often. Another way, which sounds a bit odd but is actually delicious, is to have it plain with a bit of salt. Otherwise, check out some recipe sites like www.epicurious.com. Or google "ricotta recipes".
I was going to say Lasagna, before I read your question.
Another Italian favourite I'd suggest is Cannelloni.
You have to buy the large pasta tubes to make this.
But I guess you could improvise with egg-roll wraps.
Anyway, boil them in salted water, like any pasta.
You can mix chopped Italian parsley into the ricotta.
Or for that matter, any fresh green herb you like.
Remove the tubes from water when 'al dente'.
If you boil them too long they will break.
Stuff them with the ricotta mixture carefully.
You might need a pastry bag to do this.
Lay them beside each other in a casserole dish.
Cover with canned/bottled tomato sauce.
Add oregano and/or basil, sprinkle with Parmasan.
Bake in the oven at 250-300F until sauce bubbles.
FOUR LAYER NO BOIL LASAGNA
Ingredients:
1 Box 9 OZ Lasagna (uncooked)
2 Egss
1 container 12-15 OZ Ricotta
4 Cups (16 oz) Shredded Mozerella Cheese
1\2 cup grated parmasian
1 lb cooked ground beef
2 (26 OZ) Jars of Spaghette sauce
Directions:
- preheat oven to 375 spray 13x9 inch pan
- In medium bowl beat eggs, ricotta, 2 cups mozerella and parmisian
- Spread 1C sauce on bottome of pan
- Layer 4 Uncookded sheets, 1/3 ricotta mix, half of meat, 1C cheese, and 1C sauce
- Layer 4 sheets, 1\3 ricotta, 1 1/2 C sauce
- Layer 4 sheets, remaining ricotta, remaining meat and 1C of sauce
- Layer last 4 sheets, remainging sauce and remaining cheese.
- Bake covered w\ foil for 50-60 min. uncover and continue cooking about 5 min.
Makes a great lasagna. my family loves it and it is actually pretty easy
Ricotta Spinach Pie
Saute about 1 cup of chopped onions in 3 tbsp butter or margarine.
In a bowl put your ricotta, pinch of nutmeg, 2 beaten eggs, the onion mixture and a 1 can of spinach, very well drained.
(You can use frozen too, squeeze as much moisture out as possible). You can add 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan if you like.
Stir until somewhat mixed but don't overdo it. You want a marble-like effect.
Turn the mixture into a bought pie crust.
Bake at 400 degrees until set, and lightly browned, 30-35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
The original recipe calls for 15 oz of ricotta, 12 is close enough. I've varied this recipe all kinds of ways and it's still good no matter what.
i have tried this and it was great.
Ricotta Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 (18.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 pounds ricotta cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Prepare the cake according to the directions on the package.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Drop by spoonfuls on top of uncooked cake.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Sprinkle cooled cake with confectioners sugar. Keep refrigerated.
You'll also need spinach (fresh preffered but frozen will work), round eggplant, eggs, parmesean cheese. Take the eggplant and cut length-wise in very thin slices. Dust them with flour and then place them in eggwash and fry till golden brown. In a bowl mix the ricotta, spinach (if you're using fresh you need to blanch it then squeeze all the wate out), parmesean, just a touch of ground nutmeg (optional), and some salt and pepper. Take you mixture and put about a tablespoon on the bottom or wide end of the eggplant slice and roll to the stem side kinda like a burrito. Top with a little marinara and more parm pop in 350 oven till parm just starts to brown Voila!
What about Lasagna roll-ups. Just cook a few lasagna noodles, smooth a layer of ricotta on it and roll up. I also add mozzarella and parmesan to mine. Top with a red sauce. You can always doctor up one from a jar, or a local restaurant here uses only tomato sauce, tomato paste, and hamburger plus seasoning in their sauce.