Lemon Pepper Ricotta Spread Recipes

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH LEMON RICOTTA

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Rinse the peppers, pat them dry and place them on the pan. Roast the peppers, turning every 10 minutes, until their skins are black and blistered, 40 minutes, more or less. Transfer the peppers to a heatproof bowl, cover and, when they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Remove the caps, cut each pepper in quarters or halves and remove and discard the seeds. Lightly brush the peppers with oil; use now, or cover closely and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• Scrape the ricotta into a bowl, and mix with a spatula to smoothen. Grate the lemon zest over the ricotta, squeeze in about 1 tablespoon of the juice and add the preserved lemon rind, if you're using it. Pour in a few teaspoons of olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Use now, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• To serve, spoon or spread the lemon ricotta on a platter or individual plates, and drizzle with olive oil. Top with peppers, and brush or drizzle with olive oil and either sherry or balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of chives or basil.

BRUSCHETTA WITH RICOTTA-LEMON SPREAD

Steps:

• Brush baguette slices with olive oil, grill until toasted. Rub slices with raw garlic clove.
• Stir together ricotta, zest, olive oil, basil, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Spread can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

RICOTTA CHEESE SPREAD WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Empty the container of ricotta into a strainer and place over a bowl.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (You can cut down the drain time several ways - 1) don't bother to drain at all, you'll just have a lot more moisture in your final product 2) drain at room temperature for 1 hour or 3) just drain for as long as you have patience and then, proceed!).
• Combine drained ricotta, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme leaves, salt and pepper.
• Stir until blended.
• Mound onto the center of a shallow bowl or serving plate and drizzle with oil.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 teasonpoon of thyme over the top. Garnish with strips of basil.
• Serve with crackers, bread, or raw vegetables.
• *I used the 4 hour drain time as the cooking time for this recipe*.

HERBED RICOTTA CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until blended.
• Process until the mixture is rough-textured, not completely smooth

THYME AND HONEY RICOTTA SPREAD

Steps:

• Place the ricotta in a shallow serving dish. Gently warm the honey and thyme in a small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and the honey just begins to bubble, about 4 minutes. Pour over the ricotta. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Serve with crostini.

ONE-POT LEMON RICOTTA SPAGHETTONI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (an oval Dutch oven or round braiser works well here, but any large pot will do) over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the lemon juice, 5 1/2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot, scraping up any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom. Put the spaghettoni in the pot and spread it out as much as you can. Bring the water to a boil and cook, stirring frequently to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is al dente, the mixture looks creamy and starchy and almost all of the water is evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan, ricotta and lemon zest until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is very creamy, about 1 minute. Divide the pasta into 4 bowls and garnish each with scallion greens and a few more cracks of black pepper.

MELTED-PEPPER-RICOTTA TOAST

Steps:

• Toast the bread well, and spread it with the peppers. Drop on the ricotta in dollops, and season them with flaky salt. Scatter on a few torn mint or basil leaves, and serve immediately.

RICOTTA-LEMON SPREAD

Steps:

• Stir together ricotta and goat cheese until smooth. Stir in zest. Season with salt and pepper. Spread can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 1 week.