What is ricotta cheese?
Technically, ricotta is not a cheese at all, but a
cheese by-product. Its name, ricotta, means cooked
again, an obvious reference to the production method
used to make it.
Mention ricotta cheese and the first thing that comes to
mind is probably a classic Italian lasagna. Ricotta
works well in many desserts as well as savory dishes. In
our family our favorite ricotta dish is Ricotta Gnocchi.
Most people make Gnocchi with Potato which is a much
heavier dish. I can remember making these delicious
Ricotta Gnocchi with my Grandma Mary, and my Mom as a
little girl. Mom and I still make them (we have to make
5 times this recipe to take care of all the family. It
is quite a job!)
If this recipe sounds complicated, it isn’t. Mom and I
will be happy to have a demonstration class in January
for those of you who wish to see it prepared. Just give
me a call so we can set up a day and time. It will be
fun, we can all make them together and of course we will
have to eat some to make sure they came out good!
Ricotta Gnocchi
Makes 6 to 8 servings
• 1 Lb Ricotta (Polly-o Ricotta is the best)
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tablespoons of Corsica’s Deli Grated Cheese
• 1 tablespoon of dry Parsley
• 1 1/2 cups All purpose Flour
• ½ Teaspoons of Salt
• Quart Corsica’s Deli Marinara Sauce ( if you like
extra sauce add a Pint)
• Corsica’s Deli Grated Cheese to sprinkle on top of
Gnocchi
You can find some of these
ingredients at Corsica’s Deli in Sunland, California.
Call Mary (818) 352-7213
Preparation
In medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, grated cheese, and
parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix with a spoon or
mixer. Sprinkle flour over ricotta mixture and, with
your hands, work mixture into soft, dough, slightly
sticky almost smooth. Work dough just until flour is
incorporated into cheese mixture; do not overwork.
Sprinkle a little flour in a bowl, place gnocchi dough
in bowl cover with plastic film, refrigerate 4 hours or
over night.
Break off piece of dough; on lightly floured surface,
roll into 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut dough rope into
3/4-inch lengths. Using a cheese grater lay it on its
side, (the side you would grate a hard cheese) lightly
flour grater. Place one piece of dough on grater, gently
pressing on dough with 2 fingers as you roll the dough
along the grater. Allow dough to drop off the grater,
slightly curling in on itself, forming an oval. One side
of gnocchi will have makings and opposite side will have
an indentation. Repeat rolling, cutting, and shaping
with remaining dough.
Remember to lightly flour the grater as you go. Gnocchi
can be made up to 4 hours ahead to this point. Arrange
on a wax paper lined and floured jelly-roll pan; cover
and refrigerate. Can be made a day ahead, refrigerate
until time to cook.
You can also freeze the gnocchi, up to 2 months; just
make sure that they are well wrapped for the freezer.
Place in the refrigerator to thaw out the day before you
wish to use them.
Warm your marinara sauce so that it is ready to cover
your ricotta gnocchi.
(Check *Note below if you wish to have meat.)
In 5-quart saucepot, heat 4 quarts water to boiling over
high heat. Add half of gnocchi and cook until gnocchi
float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. With slotted
spoon, transfer gnocchi to warm shallow serving bowl.
Add a little Corsica’s Deli Marinara Sauce gently mix,
repeat with remaining gnocchi. Place on serving plates,
cover with extra Sauce. Serve with Corsica’s Deli grated
cheese. (If you have a larger pot 10 or 12 quart, you
can cook them all at once, and drain them in a
colander.)
Yield: 6 to 8 first-course servings, you have not lived
until you tasted this wonderful homemade pasta! The
texture, and the flavor is unique!
*NOTE
We like to have meat in our sauce to serve with the
Ricotta Gnocchi.
If you like to add meat you will need another quart of
Corsica’s Deli Marinara Sauce. Nice with Italian
Sausage, Corsica’s Deli Meatballs, and Chicken or just
one type of meat. We have cooked Sausage at the Deli or
you can also purchase them from our freezer and cook
them to add to the sauce. The meatballs are ready to
heat and serve. If you wish to have chicken, you can use
your favorite cut of chicken with or without bones.
(If using chicken breast, remove the rib bones or they
will fall off into the sauce.) You need to brown the
chicken add 1 cup of water plus 2 quarts and a pint of
Corsica’s Deli Marinara Sauce, bring to a boil then
simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until chicken is cooked. If
using cooked sausage and meat balls you can simmer them
in the sauce for about 30 minutes. If you like mushrooms
add a drained 8 oz can of sliced mushrooms.
Remove all the meat from Sauce just before cooking the
Ricotta Gnocchi, place the meat in a warm dish, cover
set aside, then serve with the cooked Ricotta Gnocchi
and grated cheese.
Nice with our famous Corsica’s Deli garlic bread, a
green salad, and a bottle of Our San Antonio Classico
Chianti.
Ricotta “Cheese” Cake
Makes 8 to 10 servings
This Ricotta “Cheese” Cake is literally Cake with
Cheese! It is easy and Delicious, My cousin Lisa gave me
this recipe, I use it when I want something really nice
but don’t have much time to cook!
NEED• 8 X 13 Glass Baking Dish
• 1 Yellow, White, or Lemon Cake mix (use cake mix with
pudding)
• 2 LB of Poly-o Ricotta
• 3 Eggs
• ¾ of a Cup of Sugar
• Orange Zest from one Large Orange
• Juice from one Orange divided in ½
• Powdered Sugar
You can find some of these
ingredients at Corsica’s Deli in Sunland, California
Call Mary (818) 352-7213.
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven 350°
Lightly grease a 9 X 13 glass baking dish.
With electric mixer, mix Poly-o Ricotta, eggs, sugar, ½
of orange juice, all the orange zest, and set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to package, mix in ½ of
orange juice.
Place Cake mix in baking dish first.
Gently add ricotta mixture on top of cake dough.
Bake 60 minutes
When cake bakes the cheese will be on bottom of dish,
and cake will have risen to the top!
Let the cake cool, refrigerate until time to serve. Just
before serving sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Easy,
pretty and delicious!
Enjoy!
For A Christmas Dessert
Easy Fruit Cake (NO Ricotta)
Makes 12 or more servings
NEED 9-inch Tube pan
INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Milk
• 28 oz Jar ready made mincemeat
• 1 cup red candied cherries
• 1 cup green candied cherries
• 1 cup golden Raisins
• 1 ½ cup coarsely chopped Walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven 300°.
Butter a 9 –inch tube pan.
Mix all dry ingredients set aside.
Combine eggs, Eagle Brand sweet milk, mincemeat, fruit,
and nuts.
With a spoon, add and mix in all dry ingredients.
Put in buttered tube pan.
Bake 2 Hours.
Cool 5 minutes in tube pan.
Remove cake from tube pan, turn right side up (the cake
will be shiny on top as it cools) When completely
cooled, wrap in foil paper until time to use.
It’s that easy!
This cake last for months in the refrigerator, as long
as you keep it well wrapped. Can easily be made a week
or two ahead, convenient when there is so much to do at
the last minute!
When you slice the cake it will be colorful with the red
and green cherries. Great for the Holidays. Even folks
who don’t like fruit cake like this one! It’s yummy,
yummy!
Bona Fortuna! (Good Luck)
More Cookin' with Mary!
Polenta translates as corn meal mush, but it's much
more. It's the staple food of North Italy, where it
still outshines pasta, and can be served in innumerable
ways, as a first course, baked, with stews, or even as a
bread substitute. Here are a couple of recipes you might
like to try.
Traditional Polenta Recipe
Makes 6 servings
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt ( I like to use chicken Bouillon for
savory recipes)
• 1 cup instant polenta (Find at Corsica’s Deli)
• 1 ½ Tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil (Find at
Corsica’s Deli)
Preparation
Oil an 8 X 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Set aside
In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt (or bouillon),
butter (or olive oil) to a boil and gradually whisk in
polenta in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately
low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring
constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of
pan, about 5 minutes for Instant polenta. Check your
package for instructions some take longer.
Remove pan from heat, spoon polenta in oiled 8 X 8 glass
baking dish. Cover with foil to keep warm. The polenta
also needs to set for about 10 minutes. (Polenta will
keep warm, covered, about 15 to 20 minutes)
Italian Sausage on Polenta
Makes 6 servings
NEED
• Quart Corsica’s Deli Italian Marinara Sauce.
• 1 ½ pounds bulk, Hot or Mild Italian Sausage or links
with skin removed. (Find at Corsica’s Deli)
• 1 Medium Red Bell pepper sliced thin (the length of
the pepper).
• 1 Medium Green Bell pepper sliced thin (the length of
the pepper).
• 1 Medium Yellow Bell pepper sliced thin (the length of
the pepper).
• 1 Medium Onion sliced thin (the length of the onion).
• Olive Oil for cooking. (Find at Corsica’s Deli)
• Grated Corsica’s Deli Italian Grated Cheese
• Cooked Polenta (Find at Corsica’s Deli)
NOTES
If you don’t like sausage you can substitute boneless
chicken pieces or ground Turkey, actually any boneless
meat even left over cooked stew meat. Just make sure the
meat is fully cooked and tender before you add the
vegetables and sauce. You will also need to add salt &
pepper to taste, (the sausage has those ingredients).
Nice with a green Salad and a glass of San Antonio
Classico Chianti!
Prepare Sausage & Vegetables with Sauce; cover and keep
warm.
DIRECTIONS
Heat a 10-inch skillet over high heat.
Add oil to coat skillet, add bell peppers and onion;
stir-fry about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and place in a
dish, cover to keep warm.
Add a little oil to coat skillet, add sausage; stir-fry
crumbling the sausage meat for 2 minutes, lower heat
cook until sausage is no longer pink. drain.
Add vegetables to drained sausage in skillet; stir fry 1
minute.
Add marinara Sauce bring to a boil; simmer 5 minutes.
Prepare Traditional Polenta Recipe. Cover & set aside
for 5 to 15 minutes.
Cut polenta into 6 pieces.
Place a piece of polenta on plate.
Top polenta with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with grated
cheese.
Eat & Enjoy!
For Dessert - Lemon Polenta
Cake
Lemon Polenta Cake is best made the same day you will
serve it. You will find that the cake does not rise as
much as a traditional cake, and is harder, almost like a
large cakey cookie. A delicious different type of cake
that is easy to make.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
NEED 9-inch spring form pan
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup instant polenta (Find at Corsica’s Deli)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup regular olive oil or melted butter cooled
(Do not use pungent oil like Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup heavy cream well chilled
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
NOTE
(Whip Heavy Cream with a little granulated sugar to
taste about 1 to 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Extract, on a hot day chill bowl & betters before
whipping) Cover & refrigerate for later.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch spring form
pan. Sift together the flour, polenta, baking soda and
salt. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil (or
butter), lemon juice and vanilla.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the granulated sugar
at medium speed until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually
beat in the oil mixture and the lemon zest. Gently fold
in the dry ingredients just until blended.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for
about 50 minutes, or until the center springs back when
lightly pressed. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 5
minutes. Remove the side and let cool completely.
Transfer the cake to a serving plate and sift the
confectioner’s sugar over the top.
Serve with the whipped cream.
Also delicious served with sliced strawberries when they
are in season!
Nice way to end an Italian
Meal!
Bona Fortuna! (Good Luck) |
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