If you’re looking for a quite easy first course or light luncheon dish that also makes a lovely presentation, you can’t do better than Baked Ricotta With Peppers and Olives.
I first got the idea for this when staying in an apartment near Palermo’s famed Ballarò market. One stand featured various baked ricottas with a myriad of toppings, including eggplant and caponata. Although I didn’t see one with peppers and olives, I thought about the beautiful color combination and the fact that these ingredients did not give off a lot of liquid, which would spoil the ricotta’s structure.
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Chop red and yellow peppers into small dice, and fry them in a skillet with the tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes until barely tender.
Fry the peppers.
They will cook further in the oven. Salt and black pepper the sautéed peppers to taste. Remove the peppers to a small bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any olive oil.
Coarsely chop the green olives.
Chop the olives.
(I used marinated and herbed Castelvetrano olives because they are very flavorful.) However any green olive will do. Stir the olives into the peppers and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400° and place a rack in the middle of the oven with a large tray on it.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until very frothy and light. Beat in the fresh oregano and the peperoncino.
Beat the eggs.
(If 1/4 teaspoon of peperoncino—dried chili flakes—is too much for you, cut it down to a pinch.) Stir in the ricotta (whole-milk is preferable).
Add the ricotta.
Then add in a cup of grated Parmigiano, and a bit of heavy cream to make the dish moister. Mix until well blended.
Beat in the cheese.
Rub the insides of six 1 1⁄4-cup oven-proof ramekins with a bit of olive oil. Divide the pepper-and-olive mixture evenly on the bottom of each ramekin.
Line the ramekins with the pepper mixture.
Evenly spoon the ricotta mixture on top of the pepper-and-olive mixture. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of parmigiano over the ricotta mixture.
Sprinkle on the Parmigiano.
Place the ramekins on the tray in the preheated oven.
Put the ramekins on a tray.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the ricotta is puffed up, set, and very lightly browned. It puffs up very soufflé-like. Remove the ramekins from the oven, and run a thin-bladed knife around the edges to loosen the ricotta. Invert the Baked Ricotta With Peppers and Olives onto serving plates. Serve warm.
Baked ricotta With Peppers and Olives can be set aside and reheated later in a 350° oven for ten minutes. However, the ricotta mixture will not longer remain puffed up. It will, nevertheless, retain its delicious flavor.
