Baked ricotta with roast tomatoes and pancetta
Ingredients
3 potatoes (about 350g), peeled, halved
250g pancetta slices
2 eggs
1kg fresh ricotta drained
1/3 cup (25g) grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, basil, chives and oregano)
250g vine-ripened
cherry tomatoes
Fried pancetta slices to serve
1 cup wild rocket leaves
Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 10cm x 30cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Place potatoes in a pan of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until just tender, then drain. When cool enough to handle, grate coarsely into a large bowl.
Finely chop pancetta, then add to the potato. Blend the eggs and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Add to the potato mixture with the parmesan and herbs, and season well with salt and pepper. Fill the loaf pan with the mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
While the ricotta is cooling, place the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes or until just starting to split. Turn out ricotta and slice thickly.
Serve with tomatoes, pancetta and rocket, and drizzle with a little olive oil and vinegar.
Recipe by Chef Lee Faulkner | Images by Andrew Coates