Rukmini Iyer’s recipe for baked ricotta with new-season asparagus

This is a lovely seasonal traybake, starring a whole baked ricotta at the centre. Drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and herbs, the warm ricotta works beautifully with the crisp, lemony roast potatoes, the garlic, peas and asparagus.

Baked ricotta with thyme, roast jersey royals, new-season asparagus and lemon

The recipe is simple enough for a mid-week supper, but we’ve been known to have this as a late Sunday brunch, too – if so, some soft-boiled eggs on the side wouldn’t go amiss, or a chunk of crusty bread.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 2 generously

For the potatoes

600g jersey royals, halved if small, quartered if large
1 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled and smashed
A few fresh thyme sprigs

For the greens

400g new-season asparagus
200g frozen peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated

For the ricotta

250g ricotta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1⁄2 lemon, zested with a speed peeler
Freshly ground black pepper

To serve

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
Handful fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt flakes

To start, cut off the woody ends of the asparagus and put the stems in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This “shocks” them into staying greener when cooking.

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan/gas 7). Tip the potatoes, sea salt, olive oil, garlic and thyme into a roasting tin large enough to fit everything in one layer. Mix well, then put in the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the asparagus, and toss with the frozen peas, olive oil, sea salt and grated garlic. Once the potatoes have had 30 minutes, add the peas and asparagus.

At the same time, make a space in the centre of the tin, and gently upend the ricotta into it. Dress it with the olive oil, sea salt, lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper, then return the tin to the oven for a further 20 minutes, lowering the temperature to 200C (180C fan/gas 6).

When the traybake is cooked, drizzle over the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, and scatter on a few more thyme sprigs and a little salt before serving.

Instantly shop these delicious ingredients from ocado.com/wholebakedricotta

The Green Barbecue: Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes to Cook Outdoors & In, by Rukmini Iyer, has just been published (Square Peg)

from Lifestyle | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3tAxVB2
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