Recipe: Baked Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes + Zucchini

Our home-chef blogger Gabby has dished up a four-pronged recipe - baked little baked ricotta pots | roasted cherry tomatoes | slow cooked zucchini | crunchy organic bread.
Each component prepared separately and then served up together in a super savoury suite. Yum-town! 

Note that each component has it's own separate ingredients/method so you will need to scroll to the very bottom to ensure you catch all of the details :-)

This dish is one of four that features as part of our SUMMER 2024 RECIPES. Be sure to check out the complementary dishes that make up the rest of the feast:

• Grainy Summer Salad
• Stuffed Capsicums / Eggplants + Pesto-Roasted Mushrooms
• Peach + Pecan Gingerbread

LITTLE BAKED RICOTTA POTS

Serves: 4 - 6 people

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 - 30 mins

These little pots of yumminess are easy, creamy and keep well in the fridge. Set them out as part of your antipasto or starters board or with the tomatoes and zucchini, and piles of freshly cut organic bread.

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Ingredients:

• Mungalli Organic Ricotta, 325 g tub
• Blue Ray Organic Sour Cream 250 g/ 1 cup (1/2 tub, save other half if you’re making the Peach, Ginger and Pecan cake, below.)
• Parmigiano Regianno (or other tasty cheese), 1 cup grated  + extra  for the top (2-3 tbspns)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil, 1 tablespoon, or ½ tablespoon butter – to coat ramekins
• 4 eggs, beaten
• Olive oil, for drizzling on top
• Paprika, dried  – 2 teaspoons
• Thyme, dried or fresh -2 teaspoons.

Method:

1. Set oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 fan forced.)
2. Grease 4 – 6 small ramekins or small souffle/ oven proof dishes with oil, and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese to coat the base and sides. Set the ramekins on an oven tray (to catch any drips, and for ease of removal from oven.) Tip excess cheese into large bowl.
3. Add the ricotta, sour cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into a jug and pour into each of the ramekins to about ¾ full, until mixture all used up.
5. Sprinkle the paprika, dried herbs and extra cheese on top of each ramekin. Drizzle with olive oil.
   
   
   
    
6. Place the tray in the oven and bake until tops are golden and puffed, and centre is set.  Check at 10 minute mark – you may need to adjust your oven temp up (if nothing much happening) or down (if they’re burning on top but still very liquid.) They will puff up quite a bit whilst cooking, then collapse as they cool – this is normal! Don’t panic. They are not souffles.
7. Allow to cool and serve – we turned ours out onto a serving platter with the roasted tomatoes. Serve with plenty of sliced sourdough baguette or ciabatta, and the slow roasted zucchini for a lovely starter, or light lunch.

 


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ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Serves:  4 - 6 people

Preparation + cooking time: 45 minutes 

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Ingredients:

• 300-400 g cherry tomatoes (truss or loose)
• Olive oil
• Dried or fresh thyme
• Salt + Pepper

Method:

1. Place tomatoes on an oven proof dish or tray lined with baking paper.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and scatter thyme over.
3. Bake for 30 -40 minutes until completely cooked and beginning to look shrivelled up.
4. Serve warm or cold with baked ricotta, zucchini and crusty bread as a starter.

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SLOW-COOKED ZUCCHINI

Serves: 4 - 6 people

Preparation time: 10 - 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 - 40 mins

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Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 zucchini, finely sliced into circles
• Olive oil – 2 - 3 tablespoons
• Salt + Pepper
• Meredith Goats Cheese, to garnish (about ½ cup)
• Fresh mint 

1. Put the zucchini in a fry pan with oil, on low heat. Slowly cook down until zucchini is tender but not falling apart. Add more oil if needed.
2. Serve with goats cheese crumbled on top and mint scattered over the top, with BAKED RICOTTA and crusty bread. 

You may also want to revisit some of our summer recipes from the archives:

Summer 2023 recipes - Aunty Ida’s Pavlova, Torta Caprese, Caponata, Smoked Trout Dip

Summer 2022 - Last Minute Xmas Cake