Baked Ricotta with Grilled Vegetables
Ingredients
1 kg fresh ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mixed herbs
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 tablespoons paprika
1.5 kg assorted fresh vegetables, sliced
focaccia bread or french bread stick, sliced and toasted
Method
1 Place ricotta cheese in a colander lined with muslin.
Set colander over a bowl. Cover with plastic food wrap. Drain
in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
2 Preheat oven to 180 C/Gas 4.
3 Combine ricotta cheese, herbs and black pepper
to taste in a bowl. Press mixture into a greased 11 x 21 cm
loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour or until firm.
4 Turn loaf onto a lightly greased baking tray. Brush
lightly with oil. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 10 minutes
or golden. Cool.
5 Preheat grill or barbecue to a high heat.
6 Brush vegetables lightly with oil. Cook under grill
or on a barbecue, turning several times, for 5-10 minutes
or until vegetables are tender.
7 To serve, cut baked ricotta into slices and accompany
with vegetables and toasted bread. The ricotta is delicious
hot, warm or cold.
Tip: Try a combination of parsley, chives and basil
for the herbs. For the vegetables, try eggplant (aubergines),
carrots, tomatoes, green or red peppers, zucchini (courgettes),
onions, sweet potato or leeks.
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