Ricotta 3 ways - in doughnuts with cherries, with charred peas and lemon and stuffed in pasta

Learn how versatile this cheese is for a good home cook.

Hey all,

Welcome back to The Good Home Cook.

This week i’m chatting about an Italian cheese that is so versatile in the kitchen, I find myself using it in all sorts of dishes. This cheese is ricotta. It’s a mild, creamy cheese that works well in both savoury and sweet things.

It’s inexpensive and versatile and has a milky, mellow flavour thats really good for building on with other flavours.

In this issue I add it to a doughnut batter which makes the quickest, lightest doughnut balls - delicious with cream and syrupy fruits and perfect when you’re desperate for a sweet treat but don’t have tones of time in the kitchen. There’s a seasonal spring salad where the ricotta is the star of the show. And creamy and indulgent stuffed pasta shells perfect to bake in the oven, ready to serve to your family or friends.

3 really lovely recipes this week. Two free and one for my paid subs.

Enjoy guys!

Esther x

Ricotta, lemon and herb stuffed pasta in tomato butter sauce

Mini ricotta doughnut with cherries

Charred peas and beans with ricotta and lemon dressing

GOOD WAYS WITH RICOTTA

• On toast with braised courgettes and peas, olive oil, lemon, loads of herbs

• On toast with toasted apricots and honey, cherries in syrup or macerated strawberries.

• Whisked into the lightest cake batter - Paid subs see my apricot cake in the archives.

• Baked whole in a hot oven and served with roasted tomatoes and garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and bread for scooping.

• Whipped with lemon zest and parmesan and piled with roasted peppers and beans. (SEE MY RECIPE IN THE LINK)

Ricotta with charred peas, beans and lemony dressing

As the ricotta is the star of this recipe I used a really nice ricotta from Westcombe dairy which is so delicious.

PREP 15 MINS COOK SERVES 2-4

150g peas in there pods

150g green beans, trimmed

50g blanched hazelnuts

130ml extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

1 ricotta cheese

handful mint

20g parmesan

Wash the peas and beans well then dry off by wrapping in a clean tea towel.

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 200C/180C FAN for 5-7 mins or until evenly golden brown. Or toast in a frying pan if you like. Roughly chop.

Heat a 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the peas and beans and fry over a high heat for 5 mins, tossing regularly until nicely charred. Tip them into a bowl with a scrunch of salt, olive oil, lemon juice and the garlic. Toss everything together whilst hot. Serve on a plate with the ricotta cheese, toasted nuts, mint and the parmesan finely grated over the top. This is delicious with lot of crusty bread.

Mini ricotta doughnuts with cherries

These are the easiest doughnuts you will ever make. With no rising time they are super quick and the ricotta helps them to be soft and pillowy.

PREP 20 MINS COOK 15 MINS MAKES 10-12

200g ricotta, drained

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

150g caster sugar

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

cherries in syrup or any jam you like

Sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Tip the ricotta into a bowl and whisk with the whole eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, salt and sugar. Add 50g of the caster sugar the flour and baking powder then beat briefly together until just combined. Try not to over beat.

You’ll need a lot of oil, so fill a medium sized saucepan two thirds with oil. Heat the oil over a low heat until it reads 170C on a cooking thermometer or test the oil by adding a little of the batter, it should sizzle and float to the top in 10 seconds.

Dust your hands with flour and roll the dough into around 10-12 balls, continuing to dust as you go. Fry for 5 mins in batches of 4 until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen roll.

Tip the remaining 100g sugar into a large bowl and toss the doughnuts in the sugar whilst hot, serve with whipped cream and the cherries or jam. Ice cream would be delicious too.

• Leave your oil to cool completely before pouring it back into the bottle and throwing in the bin. Or use your oil again in the week to fry soemthing else.

• Try not to over beat the mix as this will turn the doughnuts tough.

• Just use standard supermarket ricotta for these.

Ricotta, lemon and herb stuffed pasta shells in butter tomato sauce

This baked pasta makes a great weekend supper. You can prepare it up to 24 hours in advance, chill and bake it when you’re ready to serve.

PREP 40 MINS COOK 35 MINS SERVES 6