Herbed Ricotta Dip with Spring Vegetables

Who can resist a good dip.  Especially on football game day.  Even more especially on an Oklahoma State Homecoming Football game day!  

This dip requires a high quality ricotta.  Don't buy the stuff in the tub at the grocery store.  Find a good cheese store in your area to get your ricotta from.  In the DFW area we are fortunate to have the Mozzarella Company.  You can visit this cheese factory and watch the women making cheese.  Luckily, you can also purchase their cheese in certain stores in the DFW area.

Here are the herbs that will lend their flavor to the dip.  Notice that they are in their little herb pods.  These have been in the refrigerator for over a week now.  They stay so much more fresh for a longer period of time than if I simply plop them in a vase like this....

 

 This cilantro was purchased on the same day as the 3 herbs shown above.  I've read some negative reviews about the herb pods, but they work great for me. 

Mix all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow the herbal flavors to meld.  Serve up with your favorite dipping vegetables; carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, radishes, etc.

Okay, here's my take on this dip....
I basically liked.  Since we grazed on it all afternoon it was especially nice because I felt I was eating a little healthier compared to most other dips and snacking foods.

I think it would be best if served with salted pita chips.  The dip is so bland (and I don't mean that in a negative way).  Bland is not always bad.  But when you have bland vegetables dipping into a bland dip you get bland all the way around.  I think this dip would be much better served with something that had a little more zing than a piece of celery.  My vote is pita chips.

Herbed Ricotta Dip with Spring Vegetables
Serves 4 to 6
Adapted from Diana Henry's recipe


Ingredients:
1 pound absolute best-quality ricotta (this will make or break your recipe - find a good quality ricotta).
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated (I grated)
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. minced fresh mint
1 lemon, both the grated zest and a good squeeze of half of the lemon
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Blend well all of the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours (but no more) to allow the flavors to meld. 

I'm sharing this recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs

Fresh Cheese with Papaya-Chipotle Salsa

On the way home from running all our errands Saturday, it started raining; and raining hard.  We are so thankful for this liquid refreshment from heaven.  That was around 2:30 in the afternoon and it didn't let up much throughout the evening.  This is such a blessing for us since we have been so hot and dry in the DFW area.

Lovey and I enjoyed  the pitter patter of the rain and the soft rumbling of thunder all afternoon.   We threw open a couple of windows and kept the music and TV off while we read and relaxed.  Lovey read and for me, relaxation was puttering around in the kitchen.  Since we had a heavy burger lunch we decided to go light for this evening.

It's Beach Bum week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and although it was far from beach-y weather in Fort Worth yesterday, I threw together this cheese and fruit salsa snack for dinner since we had a heavy lunch.


I saw Rick Bayless create this dish beachside on his PBS show.  I made it last month when I hosted our neighborhood book club and decided then it was definitely one I'd make again.  So I did.

Here's what we're working with.  Whole milk panela cheese, Mexican papaya, avocado, red onion, cilantro, chipotle in adobe sauce and lime juice.

Slice the cheese and shingle the slices on a serving platter.

Dice up the papaya, avocado, onion, cilantro and chipotle.  If you are an observant individual you will have noticed that the chipotles are not in this mixing bowl.  If you are a really observant individual, you will recall from past recipes that Lovey does not like the heat of chiles.  So, I left them off today.  But let me tell you, it is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S with the chipotle.  The heat of the chipotle just knocks the flavor of the avocado and papaya up to a whole other level.  So, please, use the heat!

Gently toss all of the ingredients and mix in the lime juice.  I would suggest doing this by hand as the ripe avocado and papaya can be bruised being tossed around by a spoon.  Taste and season with a little salt if you feel it needs it.

Spoon the salsa down the center of the cheese and serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Notes:  This serves more than 6 people when you serve it as hors d'oeuvres (you can also slice the cheese down the center after it's shingled on the platter. Because of the avocado, it doesn't do 'leftover' very well.

Fresh Cheese with Papaya-Chipotle Salsa
Serves 6
Adapted from Rick Bayless' Season 8 Mexico - One Plate at Time

Ingredients:
12 ounces whole milk panela cheese
1/4 of a ripe Mexican papaya
1/2 small red onion
1 ripe avodado
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro
1 to 2 canned chipotle chile en adobo
Salt
Crisp-fried corn tortillas

Mise en place:

• slice the cheese in 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices
• peel and seed the papaya and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (you should have about 2 cups)
• chop the onion into 1/4-inch dice
• cut off the thick bottom stems of the cilantro and chop
• seed and finely chop the chipotle (you might want to use food gloves)
• pit the avocado and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Method:
Place the slices of cheese on a serving platter, shingling them on top of another. In a bowl, gently mix together the papaya, onion, avocaod, cilantro, chipotle and lime juice.  Taste and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon.  Spoon the salsa down the center of the cheese.  Serve with tostadas.


I'm sharing this at IHCC