Ricotta, zucchini & cherry tomato tarts

 

Sometimes I go back through old recipes I’ve posted here, to find how I made something in particular to make it again and as I scroll through the recipe list, it looks like I must have this huge array of ingredients at all times, a fully stocked pantry, a refrigerator that resembles a deli and a freezer with whatever your heart desires. Well let me assure you, it’s nothing like that. I would say 99.9% of the time, my recipes are created based on what I have left in the fridge, pantry or freezer and it needs using up, like yesterday!

It was one of those lazy Sundays when I needed to do some school baking for the week and we had kinda missed lunch, so while the oven was I thought I’d check what I had on hand to whip up a quick snack. I had one sheet of puff pastry, one tired looking zucchini, the last of the punnet of cherry tomatoes and about half a tub of ricotta cheese that was destined to be something else but I never got around to it. That’s how these Ricotta, Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Tarts came about. I never get an urge to make something and rush to the store to buy a particular ingredient just so I can make it. Never. I always just make do and use what I have.

I’ve got these semi circle pans which are just perfect for tart making. I managed to squeeze out 12 circles of pastry, even joining some of the edges together to form rounds.

The filling is made up of the grated zucchini, the ricotta, grated tasty cheese, an egg, salt and pepper and a bit of garlic. The cherry tomatoes are popped on top.

Bake in the oven until filling has set (or until golden brown). We were starving by then so I took them out a little earlier than I should have. A delicious brunch, lunch, snack or party appetiser. Sprinkle with a little chopped chives for serving if you like. Remember, to only always use what you have. There is a substitute for just about everything.

Ricotta, Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Tarts

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 200gm ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 zucchini, grated
• cherry tomatoes
• salt and pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
2. Cut circles from puff pastry and line either a cupcake pan or similar which has been sprayed with a little oil spray.
3. Combine, ricotta, grated cheese, beaten egg, garlic, grated zucchini and salt and pepper.
4. Spoon ricotta mixture into pastry cups.
5. Top with halved cherry tomatoes.
6. Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until mixture has set and is golden brown.
7. Suitable to eat hot or cold and suitable to freeze.
8. Makes 12.

 

 

Pasta with Bacon, Baby Spinach & Ricotta

While on school holiday vacation, I get into a ‘lazy’ cooking mode. Its not like I don’t want to cook. Its just that schedules and routines are out the window so when dinner time comes around, I’ve usually not prepared anything or given it much thought. Those nights we usually have toasted sandwiches, baked beans or something from the freezer.

I looked into the fridge and saw 4 slices of bacon, baby spinach leaves and ricotta, which I have earmarked for another recipe this week. I made a quick sauce out of the ricotta and bacon and threw it all into the cooked pasta, along with spinach leaves which had wilted from the heat of the pasta. The dish only took me as long as it took to boil the pasta. Now, http://zizics.com/profile/Paulsen that’s what I call ‘fast food’. Better than any fast food you can buy these days.

Pasta with Bacon, Baby Spinach & Ricotta

• pasta of your choice
• bacon, diced
• handful baby spinach leaves (for 4 people)
• 2 tbs ricotta
• salt & pepper
• grated parmesan to serve

1. Boil pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return pasta to the saucepan.
3. Add spinach leaves and stir through cooked pasta. Put lid back on saucepan and set aside.
4. While pasta is boiling, fry bacon in a pan (with or without olive oil), add reserved water, salt and pepper and ricotta cheese.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Add to cooked pasta/spinach.
7. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.

Serves 4.

Mini Spinach & Ricotta Quiches

We were invited to a Christening yesterday. I hadn’t been to one in ages. Now that my children are turning 8 and 6 this year, I don’t have too much to do with babies as most of my friends have children the same age, except this one who had a baby earlier this year, her fourth. What a trooper she is. A wonderful cake maker, mother, wife and friend. I thought I’d take something and using what I had on hand, I whipped up these mini spinach and ricotta quiches.

I love having frozen puff pastry on hand because you can whip up anything for a party with that and just about anything else you’ve got lurking in the fridge or pantry.

A couple of fridge and freezer staples and you’ve got the making of a quick party snack or a luscious lunch time treat or family dinner tart.

I love the way a quiche comes out of the oven all puffed up. I think I’ll be making these again. Low in calories but high in flavour and taste.

Mini Spinach

http://www.thermolife.com/forum/members/flexis/

& Ricotta Quiches

• 1 sheet frozen reduced fat puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs low fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tbs chopped, cooked spinach (I used 1 small block of frozen spinach)
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbs grated cheese
• oil spray for pan

1. Prepare pan by spraying well with oil spray.
2. Cut out pastry rounds from thawed pastry. (One sheet of pastry yielded 9 mini quiches.)
3. Beat egg and add, ricotta, skim milk, spinach, garlic and salt & pepper. Mix well.
4. Place tablespoons of mixture into prepared pastry cases and top with grated cheese.
5. Bake in a 180 deg C oven (approx 350 deg F) for approx 15 mins or until golden brown and pastry is cooked.

And if you’re in the Brisbane area and ever in need of that hard to find cake tin, my dear friend will most likely have it available to hire or she might even find the time to make it for you at a great price. She’s an excellent cake maker.

Brisbane Cake Tin Hire

Website:  Brisbane Cake Tin Hire
Email:  caketins@gmail.com

Blueberry & Ricotta Crumble Cake Bars

Typically winter is a great time for baking for me. It’s lovely and cool in my part of the world and having the oven on heats up the house. I’ve lost my baking mojo a bit lately.  Other than the usual suspects of cookies and muffins for the kids and being on a bit of a health kick, I haven’t really felt like baking anything or in fact eating anything. (I’m into my third week of non stop coughing and its driving me mad.)

I had about a quarter cup of ricotta left, blueberries in the freezer, plain yoghurt and all of the other basic ingredients. I felt like cake but only in bar (or slice) size. It’s easy to pack in lunch boxes and freeze too.

After googling a few keyword combinations, I found this, a Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Coffee Cake but it had quite a few ingredients and processes I couldn’t be bothered with so I adapted it with my usual No Fuss Fudge Cake. You remember the one? It was done in no time and it was delicious. A moist fudgey cake with a nearly cheesecake fruity filling and a crunchy crumbly top. Just what the doctor ordered.

Blueberry Ricotta Crumble Cake Bars

Cake mixture:

• 1 and half cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• half teaspoon salt

Ricotta filling:

• 1/4 cup ricotta
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs icing sugar
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Crumble mixture:

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely

1. Turn oven to 160 C (320 F).
2. Line a slice pan, 16x26cm (6″x10″) with baking paper.
3. Mix flour,
   sugar and water in a bowl.
4. Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, baking soda and
   salt. Mix  until smooth. (Mixture is runny.) Pour into prepared pan.
5. Mix together ricotta filling and spoon gently onto wet cake mixture. Sprinkle blueberries over cake/ricotta mixture and lightly press down.
6. Sprinkle crumble mixture over cake and bake
   35 to 40 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Slice into squares and serve warm with ice cream and/or custard or eat cool for morning tea or for school lunch boxes.
8. Suitable to freeze.