Baked Ricotta Pesto
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves:
-
1 clove garlic, peeled
-
350g/12.4ozs. ricotta
-
1 egg
-
1/2 cup/45g/1.7ozs grated parmesan cheese
-
4 tablespoons basil pesto
-
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
-
3 cherry tomatoes
-
1 tablespoon oil
-
Chilli oil or chilli flakes
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line a tray with parchment and spray or line a 10cm/4inch baking tin. Place the garlic in a food processor and blitz. Then add ricotta, egg, parmesan, pesto and lemon zest and process until smooth and uniform in colour. Scoop into the tin and place on a tray. Place cherry tomatoes on the tray next to the tin and drizzle tomatoes with some olive oil. Bake both for 25 minutes or until the ricotta is puffed up and cherry tomatoes have softened.
Step 2 - You can serve this in the tin or take this out of the tin after it has cooled for 20 minutes. Place chilli flakes and cherry tomatoes on top of the ricotta and serve with crackers. This is also delicious served cold.