Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 2 clove Garlic
  • 1/2 cup Parsley, fresh
  • 1 Red bell pepper, large
  • 2 tbsp Shallot

• Condiments

  • 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/4 cup Olive oil, Extra Virgin

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1 loaf French or sourdough bread, crusty

• Dairy

  • 1/2 stick Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese

Found on lifeasastrawberry.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 large red bell pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
• 2 clove garlic, chopped and divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 cups ricotta cheese
• ½ stick butter
• 1 loaf crusty french or sourdough bread, sliced
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions

• First, roast the pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until skin is wrinkled and charred. Remove pepper from the oven, place in a small bowl, and immediately cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit until its cool enough to handle, about a half hour. Remove the stem, peel off the skin, and remove the seeds. Chop roasted pepper and set aside.
• In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat.
• Add shallot and 1 clove chopped garlic to oil and sauté 2 minutes until shallot is translucent.
• Add chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until balsamic vinegar is fragrant and mixture has softened.
• Transfer red pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Set aside.
• Spoon ricotta cheese into a small baking dish (I used a 4 cast iron skillet). You dont need to smooth it out unless you really want to - I like leaving it a bit uneven so that the finished dish looks more interesting!
• Pour red pepper sauce over ricotta. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is heated through.
• While the ricotta bakes, prepare the crostini. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave) melt butter with remaining garlic.
• Lay bread slices out on a baking sheet. Brush each piece of bread with butter and garlic mixture. Bake at 400 until lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes.
• Top baked ricotta with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately with crostini.