Fried ricotta

These crunchy, golden little morsels make a great start to a meal with either a crisp green salad, some slow-roasted tomatoes or even sauteed mushrooms. Eat them while they're hot.

Ingredients

• 500g fresh ricotta*
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan
• salt and pepper
• flour for dusting
• olive oil for frying

* If the ricotta is very fresh, it will be a little wet and difficult to cut. Place in a colander and allow to drain for a few hours in the fridge.

Method
Slice the ricotta into 1cm-thick pieces and place on kitchen paper. Whisk the eggs together with the grated parmesan, a little salt and some pepper. Place flour in a bowl. Heat a large frying pan with enough olive oil to come 1cm up the sides. When hot, dust a few pieces of ricotta in flour, dip into the egg mix and ease into the pan. Cook a few slices at a time, turning so that they become golden on both sides. Remove with a spatula and sit them on kitchen paper while you cook the rest. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 as a starter

sourced: Cuisine.com.au

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Blue cheese quesadilla

Quick Vegetarian Snack!

Chef: Jill Dupleix Photo: Jennifer Soo

Ingredients :

• 750g English spinach leaves
• Sea salt and pepper
• 400g fresh mozzarella balls, drained
• 200g creamy blue cheese (eg. gorgonzola)
• 8 soft wheat flour tortillas

Method

Wash the spinach well and shake dry. Heat a dry non-stick pan, add the spinach and cook quickly, wilting it while evaporating the water.

Squeeze dry, finely chop and toss with sea salt and pepper. Slice the mozzarella finely and roughly crumble the blue cheese.

Arrange a few mozzarella slices over one flour tortilla, scatter with blue cheese and strew with spinach.

Top with a second flour tortilla, pressing down lightly. Cook in a dry non-stick frying pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes until lightly browned. Turn once, and cook the other side until the cheese has softened. Slide onto a board and cut into quarters. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Serves 4-6.

Source: CUISINE.COM.AU
The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday June 14, 2005

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