Baked Ricotta

This one makes a great lunch, as it is probably too light for most people to pass for dinner.

If you have never tried baking ricotta before, this is your chance and I suggest you grab it, because it is truly a little piece of heaven on earth! Especially if you are a fan of the Italian cuisine, the herbs, spices and aromas.

I served the baked ricotta on a nice piece of fresh bread, on a bed of braised green beans with garlic and parsley – the perfect lunch!

U need (serves 2)

250 grams of ricotta

A big handful of basil leaves

8 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red chili pepper

Olive oil

Sea salt

A dash of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of chopped up parsley

200 grams of green beans, cleaned and cut in pieces (of about 3 cm long)

How to make it

Preheat oven to 180°C.

You are going to need a blender for this. If you don’t have a blender, just chop everything up really well.

If you do have one, pour about 6-8 tablespoons of olive oil into the blender, add 4 cloves of peeled garlic, the basil leaves, the chili pepper, about half a tablespoon of sea salt and a dash of lemon juice. Blend everything until you obtain a sauce-like mixture (it does not have to be perfectly smooth!)

Put a piece aluminum foil on a baking tray and place the ricotta on it. Pour the mixture over the ricotta and rub it in gently. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes - until nice and firm.

Meanwhile, chop up the garlic and parsley very finely. Heat up about 5-6 spoons of olive oil in a pan (this needs to be a sauté pan with a lid) and add the green beans, give it all a good stir, close the lid and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes on a low fire, until soft. If it is not moist enough, it can start burning. If this is the case, add a little bit of water. About 5 minutes before the beans are done, add the garlic, the parsley and some sea salt. Give it another stir, close the lid and let it simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.