Last summer, I was lucky enough to take a weeklong class at The French Pastry School and to share a workstation with Vanessa Druckman, mother of four, food blogger at chefdruck.com and co-founder of The Chicago Food Swap. Recently, both Vanessa and Toni of Food.(Just Sayin') (another Food Swap connection), posted recipes for homemade ricotta from Homemade with Love, a new cookbook by Jennifer Perillo. My book should be arriving soon and I can’t wait to try more of her recipes because this ricotta was flat out delicious.
I’d made ricotta once before, but I don’t recall it being this easy. Vanessa describes the process as “pure magic” and I have to agree. It is very satisfying to stir a few simple ingredients on the stove for a few short minutes and be rewarded with something that has been completely (and deliciously) transformed. I love making caramel (sauce, candy, whatever) for the same reason. It feeds the chemist in me.
Once I made the ricotta, I wanted to find a way to serve it for dinner. I had some asparagus wilting in the refrigerator. I know, I know: letting beautiful, fresh asparagus wither away is a sin, but baseball season is upon us and last week got away from me. To save it, I decided to roast the asparagus quickly in the oven. While my pasta water was coming to a boil, I preheated my oven to 450 degrees, tossed the asparagus and halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted them for 10 minutes in that hot oven. I drizzled my hot whole wheat pasta with a bit more olive oil, added the roasted vegetables, then topped the dish with a dollop of fresh ricotta and a sprinkling of shredded basil. The result? A simple, quick, fresh dinner.
For the homemade ricotta recipe, please see go to either Bruschetta with Homemade Ricotta and Slow Roasted Tomatoes (from Vanessa’s site) or Homemade with Love - Lunch with Jennie (from Toni's). Look around their sites for a bit – you’ll love their writing, recipes and photos. The recipe makes about two cups of cheese. I plan to use the rest to make graham cracker tartlets - recipe coming soon.
Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Ricotta and Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4-6
- 1/2 pound whole wheat pasta
- Sea salt, pepper
- 1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (any small tomato should work)
- Fresh ricotta, about 1 cup, at room temperature
- Fresh Basil
Season pasta water generously with sea salt. It helps flavor the pasta and will help ensure a well seasoned dish. While water is boiling, preheat oven to 450.
Trim tough ends from asparagus. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Halve thick pieces lengthwise. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on half a rimmed sheet pan, cut side down for any asparagus that has been halved. This will help it caramelize while cooking.
Halve tomatoes. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on other half of rimmed sheet pan, cut side down.
Roast vegetables for 10 minutes, until asparagus is tender and tomatoes are juicy and slightly wrinkled. While they are roasting, cook pasta according to package instructions (my Trader Joe's penne pasta took about 12 minutes). Cut four large basil leaves into ribbons.
Drain pasta and toss pasta with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add roasted tomatoes and asparagus (and any accumulated pan juices). Toss gently to combine. Spoon into deep bowls. Top each serving with dollop (about 1/4 cup) of fresh ricotta. Season with freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with shredded basil leaves.
I loved the combination of crunchy asparagus, juicy tomatoes and creamy ricotta.. If you are looking for stronger flavors, you could toss the tomatoes with crushed red pepper or minced garlic before roasting or add more seasonings to the ricotta.
