Monday, May 22, 2006

Savory Ricotta Pie

I had some ricotta to use up last week before we headed out for the beach and came up with this recipe. Savory Ricotta Pie was a spur of the moment creation and ended up being a very good dish!
I used a store bought whole wheat pie crust that I had in the freezer, and mixed together the filling in a matter of minutes, making this a very quick and satisfying dinner all in one!
We all liked this a lot, which means it will probably be repeated here. Which is a good thing, because this recipe is so basic that the possibilities for variations are endless. You can add basically anything you like, different cheeses, a variety of veggies, really, you can make up your own pie using the base I used for the ricotta filling. Just make sure you don’t use any wet ingredients, so the pie won’t be soggy.
I used diced fresh tomatoes that I seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and oregano, put them on a sieve and let them drain while I pre-baked the crust and made the filling.
The pie filling was very tasty; the ricotta was moist and did set up nicely. The tomatoes and oregano just complemented the whole thing bringing a lot of flavor to the dish. Basil would be great here too!
One combination I love is ricotta and spinach, so I will most likely be trying that one next.
Oh, and the ricotta I used here was the one I made with the recipe I posted here before (I know, I know… I am working on a recipe index, it will make our lives easier to look for previous recipes, but please be patient!!).
Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!
Ana










Savory Ricotta Pie

1 9-inch piecrust (store bought or your favorite recipe)

2 cups ricotta

2 eggs

¼ cup grated white cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 small roma tomatoes, diced

Sprigs of fresh oregano (or a teaspoon of dried)

Pre heat oven to 350 F.
Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste, put them on a sieve and let it drain while you mix the filling.
Bake piecrust for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool. (If desired you can brush the inside with egg white, just to create a protective coating to the crust, so it doesn’t get soggy)
Mix together the ricotta, eggs, grated cheese, olive oil, fresh oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I usually season the ricotta first, so I can adjust the amount of salt and pepper according to my tastes without having to taste the raw egg).
Pour about ¾ of the filling into the cooled piecrust, add the tomatoes and top with remaining filling.
Bake at 350 for about 30 - 40 minutes, or until set and golden on top. Let cool before serving.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Could you? tell me where to find your ricotta recipe?

Ana said...

Hi Kathy!
Sure, here is the link for the post with the ricotta recipe:
http://kitchenspace.blogspot.com/2006/05/homemade-ricotta-i-tried-this-recipe.html
Definitely give it a try, it makes an amazing ricotta cheese!!
Enjoy!!
Ana