Pomodoro torte di Amalfi (tomato & olive tarts)

For ➍

dough:

120 g Italian '00' flour, plus extra for dusting

55 g polenta/cornmeal

70 g ricotta

70 g cold unsalted butter*

large egg (yolk only)

topping:

250 g plum tomatoes

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped

125 g goat cheese**

handful of olives, pitted olive oil,

to sprinkle basil leaves, for garnish

sea salt &freshly ground black pepper

For the dough, place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth. Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape into a large ball. Divide this into separate pieces (1 per person) that you flatten a bit. Wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the can of tomatoes into a sieve and collect the juice for a drink. Chop the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

When the dough is chilled, roll it out into 3mm thick circles on a floured work surface (the dough should be a little rustic around the edges). Top each circle with some drained tomatoes, chopped cherry tomatoes and season to taste. Add the thyme and oregano and crumble some goat cheese over it. Decorate with olives and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake for 20 m in the preheated oven, garnish with basil.

*Use same amount olive oil instead.

**Use melting light cheese instead.

Gnocchi with ricotta, Parma ham & green asparagus

For ➍

1 red onion 

1 clove garlic 

90 g Parma ham 

350 g green asparagus 

200 g (frozen) garden peas 

800 g gnocchi 

1 tbs mild olive oil 

100 g ricotta 

90 g Parmigiano Reggiano flakes

  

Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic. Cut the Parma ham into ½ cm strips. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 

Cut the bottom 2 cm of the green asparagus and cut the asparagus into 3 cm pieces. Boil the asparagus, garden peas and gnocchi 2 m. Drain in a colander, keep 50 ml of the cooking liquid (per 4 persons) and rinse under cold running water. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic 2 m over medium heat. Add the Parma ham and fry for 1 m. 

Add the asparagus, garden peas and gnocchi. Bake 2 m. Mix the ricotta with the reserved cooking water and stir through the gnocchi. 

Mix in the Parmigiano Reggiano. Season the gnocchi with salt and pepper.

Zuni Cafe pasta alla carbonara

For ➍-➎
4 or 5 thick slices (140 g) bacon, cut into small segments
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 large or 5 small eggs, at room temperature, beaten
½ cup (10 cl) fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature
450 g spaghetti, penne, or bucatini pasta
¾ cup shucked sweet English peas or mature sugar snap peas or double-peeled favas
50 g pecorino romano or pecorino sardo, grated
salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Warm the bacon in the olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. It should gradually render a little fat, which will mix with the oil.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the ricotta.
Drop the pasta into 6 quarts rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scant 2 tbs salt. Stir, and cook until al dente.
When the pasta is about 1 m from being al dente, add the peas or favas to the water, and raise the heat under the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is just crispy on the edges but still tender in the middle. Turn off the heat, slide the pan from the heat, and swirl it a few times to cool it slightly.
Drain the pasta, shake off the excess water, and slide the pasta and peas or favas into the pan of bacon; you’ll hear a discreet sizzle. Place back on the burner (the one you used to cook the bacon, which should still be quite warm). Immediately pour the beaten eggs all over the steaming pasta, add most of the pecorino and lots of cracked black pepper, and fold to combine. Work quickly so the heat of the noodles, bacon and bacon fat slightly cooks the eggs. The eggs and ricotta will coat the pasta and form tiny, soft, golden curds.
Serve in warm bowls and offer the remaining pecorino and black pepper.

Try the original recipe. Or a Japanese fusion recipe.

Lumaconi ripieni (stuffed lumaconi)

For ➍
20 lumaconi or other large pasta shells
300 g spinach (fresh or frozen)
250 g ricotta
1 clove garlic
1 red onion
10 cherry tomatoes
2 hand fulls toasted pine nuts
grated Parmigiano cheese to taste
bunch fresh basil
salt & pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease a baking dish with olive oil.
Cook the pasta shells in large generous amounts of water until al dente (half of the cooking time).
Chop the onion and garlic. Heat a little oil and fry the onion and garlic. Add the spinach and make it shrink. Stir in the ricotta. Add salt and pepper.
Divide the pasta shells on baking dish and fill them with the mixture. Put the tomatoes in between the shells and sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese.
Place the dish, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 m in the oven. Remove the foil and put the dish back in the oven for 10 m.
Meanwhile, grate some Parmigiano cheese and toast the pine nuts.
Serve the pasta serve with some extra cheese, pine nuts and fresh basil.

Spinach & ricotta pie

For ➑*
500 g spinach
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
4 eggs
100 g ricotta cheese
50 g Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated
1 ts salt
½ ts black pepper
4 tbs butter, melted
12 sheets phyllo dough

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Cut spinach into fine strips.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 m.

Add spinach, oregano and ½ ts salt. Cook over high heat until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 m. Remove from heat and cool.

Beat eggs in large bowl. Add ricotta, Parmigiano, pepper and ½ ts salt. Stir until smooth. Add spinach mixture.

Brush the bottom and sides of a square baking pan with butter. Arrange half of the phyllo sheets in the bottom of the dish to cover and extend 2,5 cm up the sides (trim excess if necessary). Brush with butter.

Spoon spinach mixture over phyllo dough. Cover with remaining dough and neatly tuck the edge under. Brush with butter and diagonally score the top with the tip of a sharp knife.

Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 30 m.
Cut into 8 large squares and serve hot.

*You can freeze parts of the pie, thaw and reheat. (Do not put in a microwave oven to avoid soggy results).

Roasted grape & olive crostini

For ➍-➏*
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup (+/- 100 g) (purple) (seedless) grapes
1 cup (+/- 120 g) (kalamata) olives, pitted
1½ ts finely chopped rosemary, divided (or thyme)
sea salt & red pepper flakes
12 baguette slices, toasted
180 g ricotta (or blue cheese)

Heat oven to 205°C. Combine olive oil, grapes, olives, 1 ts rosemary, a couple pinches of sea salt and pepper flakes in a baking dish or roasting pan. Roast until grapes are wilted and leaking juices, about 35 to 55 m, rolling ingredients around in pan a few times throughout roasting time to encourage even cooking.
Slather each toast with ricotta, then heap each with grapes, olives and pan juices. Finish with remaining rosemary and eat immediately.

*Double ingredients for a small party.

Spring pea & ricotta torte with lemon & mint

For ➑
1 tbs unsalted butter
1shallot, finely chopped,
450 g shelled peas
salt
6 cl water or chicken stock
25 cl whole milk ricotta
¼ ts ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
4 tbs creme fraiche
4 tbs finely grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
4 tbs finely grated young pecorino cheese
2 tbs finely chopped fresh mint
2 ts finely grated lemon zest
1 ts freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 190°C. Butter a 22 cm springform pan and wrap bottom with foil to prevent any leakage.
Melt 1 tbs butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until softened, one minute. Add peas and 1 teaspoon salt; sauté briefly to coat. Add water or stock. Cook until peas are tender and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Transfer half of the peas to a bowl of a food processor; purée. Add ricotta and nutmeg; pulse to blend. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Transfer to a bowl. Whisk in creme fraiche, Parmigiano and pecorino cheeses. Stir in remaining peas, mint, lemon zest, ½ ts salt and black pepper.
Pour eggs into prepared springform pan. Sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese. Bake in oven until edges are golden brown and center is puffed and cooked through, about 30-35 m.
Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pastasciutta con la ricotta (pasta with ricotta sauce)

For ➍
400 g dry pasta like fettuccine
225 g ricotta
100 g spinach or beet greens
1 tbs butter
nutmeg
Pecorino
green salad

Set pasta water to boil, salt it lightly, and put pasta in.

Push the ricotta through a strainer to soften it. Melt 1 tbs of unsalted butter. Fork it through the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Add some cooked minced beet greens or spinach to the ricotta mixture. Season lightly with nutmeg.

When the pasta is done, drain it, and before it has stopped dripping transfer it to a bowl.

Stir the ricotta into the pasta and serve with tangy grated Tuscan pecorino on the side.

Serve with a tossed salad.

A traditional and quick recipe from the Casentino mountains in South East Tuscany.
It comes close to a rich version of a quick Alfredo pasta.

Pizza bianco (white pizza)

For ➋
300 g all-purpose flour
1 ts salt
¾ ts sugar
1 ts instant dry yeast
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
25 cl water
some cornmeal

Mix flour, ½ ts each of salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer, and slowly add 25 cl of cold water. Mix on low speed until ingredients begin to combine, increase speed to medium-high, and continue to mix for about 10 m until the dough is smooth, elastic, and cleanly pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Place dough in an oiled bowl, and allow to rest for 2 to 4 h until it has doubled in size. Split the dough into halves, and form each into a log. Place each log on a generously floured surface, and allow it to rest until the formed dough doubles in size again, at least 1 h.
Put dough on a lightly floured baker’s peel. Dimple dough by pressing it down with your fingertips. Work the dough outward toward the edges of the peel until you reach your desired size and thickness, about 5 mm. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, rosemary and sprinkle with remaining salt.
Put a baking plate, with holes or some undulation relief in it, to allow hot air to spread under the dough, in the lower part of the oven. Set oven to broil, about 270°C (or as warm as you can get). Slide pizza onto the plate with the back of a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake until the bubbles range from golden to deep brown in color, 10 to 12 m. Serve with some salad or eat lukewarm with a tasty glass of summer wine.

This, in fact, is a variation on the traditional Tuscan schiacciatta or flat bread, which often is rather sweet and served as a dessert or sweet-bread such as schiacciata con l'uva or even a sweet cake such as schiacciata alla Fiorentina, but it is popular in the USA by this, slightly misleading, name.
There are more complicated, and more Italian-like, recipes for pizza bianco, making a white stuffing with cheese. Pizza bianca uses no tomato sauce, often substituting pesto or dairy products such as sour cream. On the East Coast of the USA, the toppings may consist of mozzarella and ricotta cheese drizzled with olive oil and spices like fresh basil and garlic. In Rome, the term pizza bianca refers to a type of bread topped with olive oil, salt and, occasionally, rosemary leaves. Or even with summer figs.
Instead of figs, use tomatoes and basil to add some colour to this appetizer.

Torta della Nonna (Granny's tart)

For ➑
crust:
500 g unbleached all purpose flour
4 egg yolks
grated zest of 1 orange
1 ts vanilla extract
350 g unsalted butter
200 g powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
filling:
300 g fresh ricotta
4 egg yolks
50 cl whole milk
60 g flour
180 g sugar
decoration:
1 egg yolk
handful of peeled blanched almonds or pine nuts
confectioner's sugar

Prepare the dough by mixing the ingredients gently. Chill the dough for 1 h in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, lightly whisk the yolks and the sugar, then sift in the flour, mixing carefully to keep lumps from forming, and then add the milk in a thin stream, again stirring gently.

Once the mixture is smooth, gently heat it, while stirring carefully, until it begins to thicken. Once it reaches a very slow boil, count to 120 while stirring gently and it is done. Transfer it to a bowl because it will cream to cook in the pot, and let it cool thoroughly. Mix the ricotta into it.

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Roll out the dough and use half of it to line a crostata pan (a low-sided 25 cm pan). Pour the ricotta mixture into the middle of the pan, forming a mound, and cover it with the remaining half of the dough, tamping the edges down firmly to seal them.

Whisk the remaining egg yolk, brush it over the top of the torta, and scatter the nuts over it.

Bake the torta for 1 h.

Let it cool, dust it with confectioner's sugar, and serve.

The torta della nonna is a classic Tuscan cheese tart, meaning granny's pie, sometimes made with mascarpone instead of ricotta.

Banana cheesecake

For ➑
4 bananas
750 g ricotta cheese
125 g caster sugar
2 tbs cornflour
3 large eggs
2 pieces stem ginger in syrup, drained & finely chopped
75 g sultanas

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the (unpeeled) bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 m or until the skins blacken and the bananas feel soft.

Peel the bananas, mash with a fork and leave to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, cornflour and eggs and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.  Stir in the mashed banana, ginger and sultanas.

Pour the mixture into a 23 cm non-stick springform cake tin, place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 m.

Turn off the oven, open the door and leave the cheesecake in the oven until completely cool.

Once cool, chill for at least 2 h in the tin.