Lemon and ricotta cheese pair well for refreshing summer dinners
and desserts
Lemon and ricotta cheese just seem to go well together, whether
in a light summer pasta or a sweet cookie. The tartness of the
lemon is offset by the slightly sweet flavor of the cheese. So it
wasn’t really surprising that I found recipes that include both in
a cookbook my parents gave me a few weeks ago,
”
Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites,
”
by Giada de Laurentiis.
Lemon and ricotta cheese pair well for refreshing summer dinners and desserts
Lemon and ricotta cheese just seem to go well together, whether in a light summer pasta or a sweet cookie. The tartness of the lemon is offset by the slightly sweet flavor of the cheese. So it wasn’t really surprising that I found recipes that include both in a cookbook my parents gave me a few weeks ago, “Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites,” by Giada de Laurentiis.
When I flipped through the cookbook last weekend to plan out a few meals, I picked one that used some fresh ingredients I have in the garden – cherry tomatoes and green beans. The recipe calls for French green beans. We had a handful of pole beans and bolstered those with a bag of yellow and green wax beans from the store. Beans are in season so they can also be found at farmers markets in the area. In the whole-wheat pasta, the ricotta adds a creaminess to the pasta without the heaviness of cream. Three tablespoons of olive oil are split over half a dozen servings, and with the whole wheat pasta, the dish is pretty healthy. Simple dishes like this are perfect for warm summer nights since they require little cooking. I altered the recipe just a bit to add in some fresh squeezed lemon juice for a little more sauce.
The other recipe I picked because I was looking for something sweet to bring to a baby shower over the weekend. I brought my signature summer dish, tomato basil bruschetta (the recipe is available in the archives at www.pinnaclenews.com/life), but I also wanted to bring an easy dessert. “New Italian Favorites” offers plenty of sweet treats, but many of them required a freezer. I ended up going with a lemon ricotta cookie that seemed easy to make. The recipe makes 44 cookies, so it seemed perfect because I’d have plenty to share at the baby shower and some left over to sample at home. The cookies were the hit of the shower, and people thought the light and fluffy cookies were almost cake like.
Whole wheat linguine with green beans, ricotta and lemon
Recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis “Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites”
1 lb. whole wheat linguine
½ c. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ lb. French green beans (haricots verts,) trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
Zest of one lemon
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 c. of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large heat-proof bowl and add the ricotta. Toss to combine.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, pepper and saute for four minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until the beans are tender, about four more minutes. Add the ricotta-coated pasta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the lemon zest.
Makes four to six servings.
Lemon ricotta cookies with lemon glaze
Recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis “Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites”
2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
Zest of one lemon
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Glaze:
1 ½ c. confectioner’s sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets, using about two tablespoons for each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
While they cool, combine the confectioner’s sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about ½ tsp. of the glaze onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread it to the edges. Let the glaze harden for about two hours. Pack the cookies in an airtight container.
Makes about 44 cookies.
