got ricotta?

Recently I bought a 2 pound container of ricotta cheese for $1.99. I didn't have anything in mind for it, just couldn't pass up such a good price on something I usually find to be a tad expensive. Now what to do? Of course, one could make lasagna, but I wanted to make something, well, different. Here's the three dishes I made:

Orzo-Ricotta Bake

1 cup uncooked orzo

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (I only use extra virgin - but you can use what you got)

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cup quartered artichoke hearts

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 tablespoon each dry oregano and basil (or use fresh if you have them)

1/3 cup chopped canned sweet red bell peppers

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup ricotta

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 2 1/2-3 qt. baking dish with nonstick spray (or lightly grease with olive oil).

Boil lightly salted water; add orzo. Cook until tender - about 5 minutes or so. Drain.

While orzo cooks, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and artichoke hearts for 4-5 minutes; add garlic, sliced olives, dry oregano and basil; cook 1 minute more. Mix in drained orzo; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into prepared baking dish, smoothing top. Spread chopped red bell peppers over the top.

Meanwhile, stir together mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon cheese mixture over vegetable/orzo, smoothing top with back of spoon or using hands.

Bake about 15 minutes, or until cheese melts and top turns golden. Remove from oven and serve. (Serves 4)

(I adapted this recipe from one in a “Vegetarian Times” magazine. The first time I made it I found the orzo/vegetable part to be bland. The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, and no garlic powder or dried herbs. I also added the black olives, red bells, and parmesan as I had them in the refrigerator already. I also used curly parsley that I bought at the market as the extreme cold weather last month just about killed my flat-leaf parsley.

After these changes it tasted really good, but the orzo part fell apart when scooping - making it not as attractive for serving to company. I might try adding an egg to the orzo part to firm it up next time I make it. Another idea would be to make it in individual ramekins or casseroles for company.)

Baked Eggplant Rollitini

Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices (you'll get about 12). In pie plate, mix 1 egg and about 1/4 cup milk. Put about 1 cup bread crumbs (I seasoned mine with dried basil & oregano) in another pie plate. Lightly coat two jelly-roll pans or cookie sheets with a little olive oil. Dip eggplant slices in egg-milk mixture, then coat with bread crumbs. Place eggplant slices on oiled pans, arranging so they don't overlap. Bake at 375-degrees F for about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together 15-oz tomato sauce, some dried oregano, basil, and garlic powder (or use your favorite red spaghetti-type sauce). Mix in 1 cup of water to it. Spoon some of the tomato sauce mixture into the bottom of 2-quart flat baking dish. Set both aside.

In a large bowl mix together 1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese (I had about 1-1/2 cups), 1 cup ricotta, and 1/4 teaspoon oregano. Set aside.

When eggplant is lightly browned, remove from oven. Begin stuffing when they are cool enough to handle. Spoon about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture in 1/2-inch strip on each egglpant slice; roll. Place each eggplant roll, seam-side down, in sauce in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce. Bake about 30 minutes (or until heated through) in a 350-degree oven. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese; return to oven and heat just until cheese melts. Makes 6 main-dish or 12 first-course servings.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

15 oz. ricotta

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the pan

1/4 cup flour

2 whole eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest from 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wrap ricotta tightly in fine cheesecloth and twist to remove liquid (or you can place wrapped ricotta in a colander over a bowl; place heavy bowl or cans on top; and refrigerate overnight to drain).

Heat oven to 350-degrees F. Coat a 6-inch spring-form pan with the butter and 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. Place drained ricotta, 1/4 cup sugar, flour, egg yolks, vanilla, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside.

Bring a saucepan filled with an inch of water to a simmer; reduce heat to low. Combine egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water; stir until egg whites are warm and sugar is dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk on medium speed until frothy. Gradually increase speed, whisking until stiff peaks form, about 15 minutes.

Stir one-third of the egg-white mixture into the ricotta mixture; gently fold in remaining egg whites. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until lightly browned, firm to the touch, and center is set. Transfer from oven to a cooling rack; after 15 minutes, remove ring. Serve.

(I think this would be an excellent cake base for fresh fruit: coat cake top with thin layer of apricot jam (or maybe lemon curd?), then place slices of fresh fruit on top, like kiwi or strawberries, or both!

The original recipe called for 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites. The yolk goes in the ricotta mixture, and the 3 whites are whipped into stiff peaks. This will probably give you a taller, lighter cake. I didn’t want 2 leftover yolks so I did it as above.)

Enjoy!