Ricotta time

Ciao!

I'm so happy we are going to start with the recipes! Here is the first one. It's an easy dish, very good to comfort oneself in a sunny day. I have done it today at lunch and it took me really few minutes: I'm talking about Pasta con la Ricotta.

Before starting with the directions I want to spend some words on this wonderful cheese.

To be accurate ricotta isn't a "cheese". In fact it's obtained by the re-cooking (ricotta=re-cooked) of the siero (whey) produced during the process of making cheese. For this reason ricotta it's already LOW FAT and you don't need to buy the skim or low fat type.

Remember: less process had undergo the food, the better it is for your health!

Another advice to buy a good product is looking at the ingredients on the pack.

Yesterday I have been in Wholefood in Union Square and I have found many kinds of "Ricotta". I had to discard some because of the ingredients. Ricotta ingredients must be Whole Milk, Salt and Curd. That's it. No vinegar or other weird stuff in it!

And now ... let's start with the recipe, at least!

PASTA CON LA RICOTTA

Tools:

• 1 pot
• 1 bowl

Timing:

• 15 minutes

Ingredients (for 2):

• 5 onces of ricotta
• 1 tomato (costoluto is in season, and it's very tasty ... soon a post about this too!)
• 5 onces of pasta (short is better, like "mezze penne")
• 2 spoons of oil
• salt
• basil

FIRST STEP

• put water in the pot and bring to a boil
• add salt when boiling
• add pasta in the pan and cook it ... al dente!

...in the meanwhile...

SECOND STEP

• put the ricotta in a bowl
• cut the tomato in little parts and add it to the ricotta
• melt

THIRD STEP

• add 2 or 3 spoons of hot water from your pasta pot into the ricotta
• add oil, salt and basil
• melt

FORTH STEP

• strain pasta and, once strained, put it in the hot pot but not on the stove
• add your sauce and melt
• dish

A tavola!

Buona appetito!