Cooking Index - Cooking Recipes & IdeasZucchini, Red Pepper And Ricotta Salad Recipe - Cooking Index

Zucchini, Red Pepper And Ricotta Salad

Fresh sheep's-milk ricotta cheese is also made into ricotta salata (salted ricotta) by salting and aging fresh ricotta cheese. As it ages it becomes firm and gratable. Sicilians like to use it over bucatini, a thick spaghetti-like pasta hollowed out like a long tube, and it is just right sprinkled over this marinated zucchini, red pepper, and mint salad. Make the salad a day ahead to allow the flavors to mingle. Look for ricotta salata in Italian grocery stores or in your supermarket dairy section. A good substitute is feta cheese, which will need to be crumbled instead of grated.

Cuisine: Italian
Courses: Salads
Serves: 4 people

Recipe Ingredients

1/3 cup 78mlExtra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons 45mlRed wine vinegar
2 tablespoons 30mlMinced fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon 1.3mlFine sea salt
1/4 lb 113g / 4ozRicotta salata - grated
3 lbs 1362g / 48ozZucchini - cut into thin strips (small)
1 lb 454g / 16ozSweet red pepper - cored, seeded, (large)
  And cut into thin strips
  Grinding of coarse black pepper

Recipe Instructions

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, mint, and salt in a jar and shake well. Set aside.

In a salad bowl combine the ricotta salata, zucchini, and red pepper. Pour the dressing over the top and toss well. Top with a grinding of black pepper. To serve the salad later the same day, cover with a piece of plastic wrap and allow it to marinate for several hours at room temperature. If making the salad a day ahead, refrigerate it and bring it to room temperature the following day.

Did you know that the ancient Romans chewed on fresh mint leaves after meals to refresh and clean their mouths?

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Source:
Ciao Italia at http://www.ciaoitalia.com

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