Herbed Ricotta Cakes

 These delightful little crispy nuggets are made with ricotta, Parmesan, chopped fresh herbs and spinach.  They're rolled in breadcrumbs and drizzled with olive oil then baked to a crispy golden perfection.  These are great right out of the oven all crispy and hot or top with your favorite marinara sauce, then sprinkle with grated fontina or Parmesan cheese, Bellisimo!

 Ingredients

Makes 20 2 1/2 inch cakes

1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese drained in a wire mesh for at least 2 hours.

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh bread crumbs, plus more for rolling

2 eggs

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

black pepper to taste

olive oil

Optional...

your favorite marinara sauce, heated

Parmesan or fontina cheese grated 

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and drizzle a little olive oil over pan.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

 

In a large bowl, combine the drained ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, chopped spinach, minced herbs, eggs,  salt and pepper.  Add 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs and mix together keeping it light.  If mixture is too wet, add up to a 1/2 cup more breadcrumbs, until mixture comes together in a semi moist but not dry mass.

I used a medium sized cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to form each ball, then dropped them in a bowl with the extra bread crumbs, rolling around to fully coat each ball.  Pat them lightly between your hands forming them into neat little balls.   

Place the balls on the prepared sheet pan, no need to flatten the balls, they will spread into nice even cakes during baking.  Drizzle a little more olive oil over each ball and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, carefully flip the cakes over and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

These can be served dipped into your favorite marinara sauce or if you like, arrange hot cakes in a baking dish and top with hot marinara sauce then sprinkle Parmesan or fontina cheese over top and bake in a 375° oven to melt the cheese about 8 to 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

 

Italian Zucchini Boats

Italian Zucchini Boats are stuffed with onions and garlic and seasoned with fresh basil and parsley.  Feta and Parmesan cheese are added to the mix.  Sprinkled bread crumbs on top give it a nice crispy crust.

It's a little early in Maine for fresh zucchini but garden fresh zucchini is right around the corner.  I purchased my squash at the store and was fortunate to grab the last two on the shelf.  This is one of two ways I love zucchini the best.  The second would be chocolate zucchini bread but that recipe is for a later date.  This recipe calls for 4 medium sized zucchini but as earlier stated, two was all I could find.  I cut the recipe in half for our dinner which you can do easily, however I will tell you, these are great as leftovers also! 

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 medium zucchini about 7-8 inches long

3 tablespoons good quality olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

3/4 cup finely minced onion

3 cloves garlic minced

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, finely ground 

salt and pepper to taste

extra bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese for sprinkling 

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Cut off the stem and the blossom

ends of the zucchini and discard, then cut the zucchini lengthwise.  Scoop out the insides with a teaspoon, leaving a 1/2 inch boarder around the boat.  Place the boats in a shallow casserole dish. 

Chop the insides into little bits. 

Combine the chopped zucchini innards with the onion and the garlic and add a pinch of salt, add olive oil to a heavy bottomed frying pan on medium heat and saute until all liquid is absorbed and the onions are soft.  Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and add the feta, Parmesan and the herbs, mix well.  Add the bread crumbs and combine with the sauteed zucchini mixture.  

Season the zucchini boats with a few grindings of pepper and drizzle in a little olive oil.  Fill the boats evenly with the zucchini mixture and use up all the filling.  Sprinkle each filled boat with a little grated Parmesan then sprinkle over the cheese a little fresh bread crumbs.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the bread crumbs and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Enjoy!