Ricotta: What To Do With It Now That You’ve Made It

A bowl of Ricotta and Fruit instead of Cottage Cheese is a great breakfast

Savory Bruschetta: Toast a slice of good bread. Scrape with garlic clove. Top with Ricotta. Garnish with pesto, tapanade or sun-dried tomato pesto and a drizzle of olive oil. Eat leaning over a plate or the sink

Sweet Breakfast Bruschetta: Toast a slice of fruit and nut bread. Spread some of that great jam or preserves you’re hoarding on the toast. Top with ricotta and drizzle with honey or chopped almonds or walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pasta alla Ricotta: Loosen ricotta with a couple tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Add a small handful of good grated parmesan and a pinch of red chile flakes. Slowly cook one slice’s worth of lardons or pancetta sliced into batons with a couple whole garlic cloves until fat is rendered from pork and garlic is golden. Add to ricotta -parmesan mixture. Toss with hot pasta.

Make my Gnochetti di Ricotta

Spaghetti al Pomodoro con Ricotta: Make a simple tomato sauce with just garlic and a good amount of olive oil and some salt. Toss pasta into the sauce then portion out into bowls. Garnish the sauced pasta with a healthy thwack of fresh ricotta. Sprinkle with grated parmesan. Eat and swoon.

Deconstructed Cannoli: Beat ricotta in a food processor with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Add a bit of lemon zest and chopped chocolate of your choice. Serve with stone fruit slices instead of cannoli shells