Homemade ricotta, romesco sauce, fennel and rye
- Main
- Medium
- 2
- 2 hours
PT2H
Chantelle Nicholson serves up a homemade ricotta recipe with romesco sauce, made with toasted Brazil nuts and almonds for a slight twist on the classic. A crunchy, nutty rye cracker and crisp fennel bring plenty of crunch to the dish. Make sure you save the whey when making the ricotta – it's great for fermenting vegetables, can be reduced to make a sauce or used to replace water when making bread for a different flavour profile.
Ingredients
Homemade ricotta
- 400ml of whole milk
- 50ml of double cream
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp table salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
Rye cracker
- 100g of wholemeal rye flour
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 50g of water
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 40g of pumpkin seeds , finely chopped
Romesco sauce
- 100g of piquillo peppers , drained
- 20g of almonds , toasted
- 30g of Brazil nuts, toasted
- 40g of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 1 dash of sherry vinegar
- sea salt
Fennel salad
- 1 fennel bulb , finely sliced on a mandoline (or as finely sliced as you can manage with a knife)
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon , juiced and zested
Equipment
- Cheesecloth
- Blender
Method
1
To make the ricotta, bring the milk, cream, olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs to the boil in a saucepan. Add the vinegar, whisk well, and turn the heat down to low. Allow the mixture to split. When this has happened, gently pour through a sieve lined with cheesecloth sat over a jug to collect the liquid and refrigerate for 1 hour
- 400ml of whole milk
- 50ml of double cream
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp table salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
2
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
3
For the rye cracker, mix all the ingredients together to form a dough and rest for 20 minutes. Roll out very thinly between two sheets of parchment paper and bake until golden and crisp, for approximately 8–10 minutes
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 100g of wholemeal rye flour
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 50g of water
- 40g of pumpkin seeds , finely chopped
4
To make the romesco sauce, place all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined. The sauce should be well-mixed but not totally smooth. Season to taste
- 1 dash of sherry vinegar
- 100g of piquillo peppers , drained
- 20g of almonds , toasted
- 30g of Brazil nuts, toasted
- 40g of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- sea salt
5
To assemble, place a mound of romesco on a plate and dot with the ricotta. Dress the fennel slices with the olive oil, lemon and salt. Add to the plate and serve the rye crisps on the side
- 1/2 lemon , juiced and zested
- 1 fennel bulb , finely sliced on a mandoline (or as finely sliced as you can manage with a knife)
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
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Homemade ricotta, romesco sauce, fennel and rye
