Manuela
Darling-Gansser authored a beautiful Italian Cookbook last year called Four Seasons: A
Year of Italian Food.
I would buy the cookbook just for the pictures – they are in fact
stunning - but also discovered that the receipes were nothing short of amazing.
Take this baked ricotta. Made with whole-milk (not reduced fat) ricotta,
this easy cheese spread is paired with just a few other ingredients and baked
until golden brown. It’s so easy in fact it takes 10 minutes to mix and about
30 minutes to bake.
You can
serve this with a simple, freshly baked Tomato Focaccia while the cheese is still warm or with an
Antipasta platter with the cheese slightly cold.
I’m really
hooked on this recipe and have put it in my file of keepers. After all, who
doesn’t love an Italian cheese spread that is this easy and Parmigiano-Reggiano
is my all time favorite!
Bon
Appetit!
Baked Ricotta
Recipe by Manuela Darling-Gansser
Butter to coat the baking dish
16 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta
2 eggs
3-4 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fresh Oregano leaves, finely chopped
1 chile, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt and Fresh ground Pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2 cup baking dish or use two 8 ounce Le Creuset baking dishes.
Beat all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork until well combined. Then pour into the baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and puffy.
Remove from the oven. Let cool and serve.