Easter Ricotta Pie

April 3, 2017 by 20 Comments

easter ricotta pieRicotta pie is an Italian Easter dessert and it’s tradition in my house. Certain holiday foods hold a connection to me and ricotta pie is right up there along with a lamb cake at Easter time. It’s a ritual and it wouldn’t be Easter without it.

I usually make multiple pies because I like to give some away to special people in my life so I make sure right around this time that I’m stocked up on plenty of ricotta and the other ingredients that go into the ricotta pie.

easter ricotta pie There are many different versions of this sweet ricotta pie and every household has their own very favorite. Mine has a creamy blend of ricotta, orange zest, candied orange peel, mini chocolate chips and hints of swirled cinnamon, it’s a dreamy combination of flavors.

easter ricotta pies I usually make this in a ten inch deep dish pie plate but I’ve been known to make it in a springform pan and even a round glass cake pan or you can double the recipe and put it into 13 x 9.

easter ricotta pie Back in 2010 I did a post on my Sweet Ricotta Pie, it’s the same recipe, but I thought it was time for a little updating on my pictures and giving you an easy way to print out the recipe, back then I didn’t have the recipe feature on my blog.

As far as the crust goes feel free to use your own favorite pie dough recipe, I myself have experimented with many different ones over the years, but if making pastry is not your thing you can use a good quality store bought one which I’ve done many times myself.

easter ricotta pie

The end result will be the same, creamy, dense, slightly sweet and filled with flavors that I will remember all my life!

Follow along with me on Instagram where I share what I’m cooking up daily.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Easter Ricotta Pie
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 uncooked pie crust, either homemade or a good quality store bought one
  • 1½ lbs. of ricotta *** IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you drain your ricotta good! You don’t want it to be wet, make sure you get all the excess moisture out or else it will affect the cooking time and texture. You could drain it overnight in the fridge or a couple of hours before you put it together or just look for a drier ricotta, not one that is soaking in water.
  • ¾ c. sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus some extra for sprinkling on top
  • zest of one orange
  • ½ cup of mini, semi sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup diced candied orange peel, either store bought or homemade
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the ricotta with the sugar until very smooth.
  3. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon.
  5. Stir in the candied fruit, orange zest and chocolate chips.
  6. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
  7. Place onto rimmed baking sheet for ease of pulling it out of the oven.
  8. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and swirl it with the tip of a knife.
  9. Bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until ricotta is set and toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Let cool down and refrigerate.

 

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20 Comments Filed Under: Pies, Spring Tagged: , , ,

Sweet Long Peppers Stuffed with Cauliflower Rice

March 24, 2017 by 13 Comments

sweet long peppers Sweet long peppers, oh how I love thee! These elegant looking peppers are super sweet and never ever bitter. They were once called Ancient Sweets but now you’ll find them called, Sweet Twister.

They’re very versatile, you can cut them into rings and use them in salads, stir fries, pizza and frittata’s, they’re great roasted and grilled and of course my favorite way is stuffed.

sweet long peppers These beauties are so vibrant in color, who can resist? Plus they have very few ribs and seeds that are very easy to pick out and an almost hollow interior which gives them the perfect pocket for stuffing.

sweet long peppers Over the years I have stuffed them many ways and usually a meat or sausage was involved, but this time I wanted to use the ever popular cauliflower rice and make a meatless version adding some cheese and herbs into the mix. Imagine a platter full  as a delicious side dish or it can stand alone as vegetarian lunch with a salad on the side, I think you’ll be smitten!

sweet long peppers

I always buy frozen cauliflower rice, it’s less messy for me and I can grab a bag on a whim right out of my freezer. I served my cauliflower rice stuffed peppers alongside a roasted chicken and it was a hit! I hope you give it a try.

You can follow me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up daily. 

5.0 from 2 reviews
Sweet Long Peppers Stuffed with Cauliflower Rice
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 12 oz. bag of riced cauliflower
  • 6 good size sweet long peppers ( Sweet Twister's)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 6 to 8 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
  • 1¼ cup of grape tomatoes, each one cut into 4 pieces
  • 1 heaping ¼ cup of grated romano cheese
  • 1 heaping cup of shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese, or any cheese that melts really good
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400F
  2. Place foil on a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle the bottom with a little olive oil.
  3. In a saute pan drizzled with olive oil, add the onion and garlic until soft then pour in the frozen cauliflower stirring until it has defrosted and cooked a little.
  4. Add in all the other ingredients, garlic, parsley,basil, both cheese and tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste, mixing until all combined.
  5. Let it cool down a bit, in the meantime prep your peppers.
  6. Try to leave the stems on it gives a nice presentation.
  7. Figure out which side of the pepper will lay flat and sturdy in the pan.
  8. Cut a slit on top being careful not to go completely through the top or pointed bottom.
  9. Pull out the seeds and ribs with your fingers, it will be easy.
  10. Drizzle the inside with a little olive oil and some black pepper.
  11. Fill each pepper with the cauliflower rice mixture all the way to the top.
  12. Place them onto the rimmed sheet pan with a quick little drizzle of olive oil.
  13. Bake for about 20 minutes or so, the cheese should be melted and the peppers starting to wrinkle and become soft.
  14. Garnish with chopped basil and parsley.

 

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13 Comments Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: ,

Loaded Farro Salad

March 11, 2017 by 9 Comments

loaded farro salad Here’s a loaded salad that’s filled with roasted veggies and delicious chewy farro, this is not a wimpy salad by any means! This loaded farro salad is filled with veggie goodness featuring, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, peas, red, yellow and orange peppers, artichoke hearts, green onions, basil and parsley then tossed in a bright lemon and olive oil dressing.

loaded farro salad Delicious at room temperature so it’s party perfect. You can serve this as a meatless meal, as a light lunch, a healthy main course or a side dish for grilled fish, shrimp or any meat of your choice.

Did you know that farro can be pre-cooked ahead of time then kept frozen? Sometimes I cook a whole bag, let it cool down and place portions into freezer bags so they’re ready to go when I want to make this.

The frozen farro will keep for up to six months in the freezer, but I assure you it won’t last that long, there are so many different ways to prepare it, here’s a summer version I like to make as well.

loaded farro salad

Keep in mind you can add or subtract any veggie you like, anything goes, this will not disappoint!

You can follow Proud Italian Cook on Instagram to check out what I’m making during the week.

4.5 from 2 reviews
Loaded Farro Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 1½ cups of farro
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 teaspoon, salt
  • 1 bunch of thin asparagus, cut diagonally
  • 1 to 2 zucchini and yellow squash, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 each of red, yellow and orange peppers cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup frozen petite peas
  • 1 cup of frozen and defrosted artichoke hearts
  • 3 green onions sliced
  • a handful each of fresh basil and parsley chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 small garlic cloves grated on a microplane
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Combine the water and the farro into a medium saucepan, add the salt then bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Reduce heat to medium low then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
  3. Drain well then transfer to a big bowl to cool down.
  4. In the meantime heat your oven to 425 degrees then roast all you veggies on a large sheet pan, (except the peas, just let them defrost and the green onions, just have them ready to go) that have been drizzled all over with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
  5. Cook them until there is still a little bite, do not over cook and let them get mushy. You'll have to keep checking and tossing them., maybe total 10 minutes, but ovens vary.
  6. Let all the veggies cool off when out of the oven before combining them with the cooled farro.
  7. Toss and fold everything together including the defrosted peas.
  8. Whisk the juice of 1 lemon together with the grated garlic and enough olive oil to your tasting.
  9. Add the chopped parsley, basil and sliced green onions.
  10. Pour the dressing on, toss gently and season with salt and pepper.

 

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9 Comments Filed Under: Grains, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: , ,