Conference turris::cooks

    Increase your lasagna recipie by 1/3.
    
    Sorry, couldn't resist that.
    
    ;^)
    
    Steve
    

    
    
    Ricotta is great with fruit-I especially like strawberries
    or raspberries...my favorite breakfast.
    
    

    What to do with leftover ricotta?  Add 1 beaten egg, parmesan cheese
    parsley, oregano.  Stuff into cooked shells, or minecotti add some
    spaghetti sauce, bake and you've got a delicious meal!
                

    If you are into Indian cooking, see my recipe for Saag Paneer in note
    2215.3, and substitute the ricotta for the paneer.

       Mix the ricotta with some sweetener (sugar, sugar substitute,
       or honey all work very well), and you have an instant and
       delicious dessert.  (This is an excellent low-calorie dessert
       when you use low-fat or non-fat riccota sweetened with Equal.)
       
       --Mr Topaz

    Sweeten and use to fill cannoli shells...then dust with a
    little confectioner's sugar.
    
    Judy

 Mix with confectioner's sugar and grated semi-sweet chocolate and stuff into
Pepperidge Farms "Pirouette" cookies. I think there's a small amount of rum
or brandy in there too.

 The Doctah

    Since you can freeze cooked or uncooked lasagna, I don't see why
    you couldn't freeze the 1/2 lb of ricotta.  The next time you made
    lasagna, just dump the extra 1/2 lb into your freezer container.
    If you make lasagna fairly often, you'd soon have the 3 left-over
    1/2 lbs to use for a 4th lasagna.
    
    --Louise

    Make a box or two of jello, let it set, then mix in the ricotta
    with some cool whip and a half a bag of miniature marshmallows.
    Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or over night
    to allow the marshmallows to soften...  This is delicious!  If you
    use lowfat ricotta, lo-cal coolwhip, dreamwhip or whatever, with
    sugar-free jello, this is an absolutely YUMMY dessert for company,
    kids or anytime!!
    
    Jennifer

    WHen you're making the lasagne, make a quantity that will use all the
    cheese you have, may take two pans.  Have one for dinner and one for
    the freezer (lunches for work)!
    
    Mix with spinach and use to stuff skinless boneless chicken breasts.
    
    Mix with shredded carrot and minced celery and spread on bagels or
    pita.
    
    TW
    

    lite italian snack-
    
    1/2 cup ricotta
    1/3 cup milk (i use low-fat and it works fine)
    2 T parsley
    2 T romano cheese, grated
    1/2 t garlic powder
    salt and pepper
    
    mix ricotta, milk, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper in small
    saucepan till heated.  (bout 3 minutes)
    
    take about 5 oz of pasta, cooked and drained, and add the milk/cheese
    mixture to toss.  add romano cheese and toss some more.  serve
    immediately.
    
    makes 4 side dish servings.  
    
    
    cj

    I  have the following for breakfast often:
    
    	Toast one side of bread
    	Spread ricotta on the other side
    	Sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon
    	Broil for 3-4 minutes
    
    Quick, easy and delicious.
    
    Mark
    

    This is my "Oh no, company is coming and I have nothing to serve with
    coffee" idea.  I usually have left-over ricotta also, so I freeze it
    for these times.
    
    Slice pound cake into three layers. (this also presumes that you have a
    pound cake in the freezer, which I usually do : )
    
    Mix ricotta with confectioners' sugar to taste.
    Stir in some chopped chocolate, or use chocolate chips.
    Sometimes I add some orange juice.
    
    Spread ricotta mixture between layers.
    
    Melt some more chocolate (chips or whatever), and drizzle over cake.
    
    Dust with cocoa powder.
    
    Sometimes I add sliced strawberries or canned peach slices between the
    layers, too.
    
    Sarah
    
    
    

    From Italian Light:
    
    RICOTTA CHEESY SAUCE
    
    1 cup skim-milk ricotta cheese
    1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
    1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
    1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
    Dash of white pepper
    1/4 cup warm water
    
    Combine all the ingrediants in a small saucepan and stir constantly
    over medium heat.  When mixed thoroughly and hot (not boiling), add
    more Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.  Serve at once.
    
    Variations:
    * Use skim milk instead of water
    * Try Romano or Pecorino cheese instead of Parmesan
    * For color, use cayenne papper; it adds a zesty taste [yowie, oo la
    								la- ed]
    
    This sauce can be mixed in a blender for a very smooth finish.  It can
    be served uncooked.
    
    After I drain my pasta, I usually pour it into a bowl and mix the sauce
    in immediately.
    
    ed
    

      2 oz semisweet chocolate
    1/4 cup sliced almonds
      8 oz ricotta cheese
    1/3 cup half and half
    
     Pulverize chocolate and almonds in a belnder or food processor.
     Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
     Serve in dessert glasses.

                  Chicken breasts with artichoke and ricotta
    
    I made this the other night and it was delicous. Take some boneless
    chicken breasts and pound them flat. I had some leftover artichoke
    hearts and I sliced them up but they are not really needed. I put
    a line of artichoke and ricotta on the breasts and roll them up.
    Place in a baking dish and heat for 15 min. in the oven at 350.
    Remove and coat with a tomato sauce and cover with slices of
    mozzarella. return to the oven for another 15 to 20 min. This dish
    really tastes great. No leftovers though. Enjoy!!

I know that there is a recipe for Ricotta Cheese pies somewhere in my house,
but....I will say that I have been making ricotta based pies and cheesecakes
for years, but from memory.

The basic ricotta recipe is the cheese, some sugar or honey to sweeten, a little
extract (choose a flavor to complement what you are making) and an egg.  This
goes into the food processor, whip til creamy.

When baking, I ususally bake at 325 degrees until a knife inserted into the 
center comes out clean.

There -- isn't that simple?

My favorite Ricotta dessert recipe is a fruited cheese thing of some sorts--
Start with a cake-type cookie crust recipe, fit this into a pan.  Put in your
layer of cheese mixture.  Arrange slices of plums and apples across the top
of the cheese mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon and top with a brown sugar 
crumble mixture (you know, sugar, flour, butter).  Bake til done and devour!!!


This is kind of a wintery, autumn recipe.  During the summer, I will get a pie
crust and fill with this cheese mixture and bake.  Then I top with the fruit of 
the seasons, and cover with a glaze made from jams, or you can even use a jello
mix to cover your fruit, refrigerate and serve!

Almost forgot, another way to do this, is to add a can of pie filling -- pumpkin,
blueberry, apple, etc. Mix it into cheese mixture and bake til done.  Fast 
and easy dessert, specially if you use a pre-done pie crust.

d

    This is from the Joy Of Cooking
    
    RICOTTA CHEESE PIE OR CAKE
    
    Have all ingredients at 75 degrees.  Combine:
      1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
          3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
          2 tablespoons chopped blanched almonds
          2 tablespoons chopped citron
    and dust with:
          1 tablespoon flour
    Beat until light and lemony in color:
          4 eggs
    Gradually add:
          1 cup sugar
      1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
            
    Add the cheese mixture to the eggs until well blended.  Pour the
    filling into the unbaked crust (recipe below) and bake about 40 mintues
    or until done.
    
    CHEESE-CAKE CRUST (to line a 10-Inch Pan)
    
    Have at about 70 degrees:
        1/2 cup butter
    Work this into a crust with:
        1/4 teaspoon salt
          2 cups flour
    Gradually add:
      1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cognac
    
    Chill about half an hour before rolling to line the pan.  Roll about
    1/8 inch thick.

	Looking for a good old fashioned "North End" (of Boston) ricotta
pie recipe. Anybody got one they would like to share....?

	Also there are pies that have no top crust and others that have citron
pieces. These would be nice also... Thanks...


						Robert