The Best Ricotta Dip, Plus All-Purpose Ricotta Filling

Oooooh! Ooooooh! Have I ever got a dandy recipe for you! But first, let me explain:

A while back I ran across a recipe I very much wanted to try. It was a whipped ricotta dip with rosemary for bread and vegetables. So quick and easy, I just knew it would be right up my alley. So recently when I saw ricotta on sale buy one/get one free, I remembered the recipe and picked some up.

I whipped up the dip and took the whole batch over to a casual wine o’clock get-together at my friend AC’s house. Thank heavens I presented it with the caveat that I was testing the recipe out; these are really good friends and I can get away with that sort of thing. I think the consensus was that it barely rose to the level of “meh”. Color me irked. (And then I thoughtlessly repaid AC’s hospitality by leaving it all in her fridge. Looking back, I should have just fed it to her dog myself and saved her a step. Mea culpa.)

Anyway, last week I noticed I still had the other carton of ricotta, and it was about to outdate. That sparked my weekly hunt for things I need to use up before they spoil. (My Scottish/Creek Indian heritage won’t let me waste things–especially perfectly good food–without a fight.) I found some aging wonton wrappers and a lot of parmesan cheese. I decided to make wonton ravioli with my usual cheese filling and deal with it all at once.

I quickly mixed up the ricotta filling I’ve used forever. I learned it years ago from heaven-knows-where. It’s a recipe I know by heart, it’s easy, it’s always good, and I use it in a number of dishes with excellent results. You simply throw ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, and a pinch of nutmeg in the bowl, and stir that up. Because the saltiness of the cheeses is impossible to predict, you season with salt and pepper to taste before adding a raw egg. So I added a little salt and pepper, and poked a pinky in to taste. More salt and pepper, and then I poked a ring finger in. (No double dipping, even at home!) More pepper. Again, but with a pointer finger this time. Perfect. I was starving, though, and so I kept tasting using the rest of my clean fingers just to be sure.

As it happened, I wasn’t going to need the whole recipe of ricotta stuff because I didn’t have a whole package of wontons. So I also dragged a floret or two of roasted cauliflower and a couple of croutons through the ricotta stuff, still before adding the egg. It’s irresistibly delicious and I had plenty, so why not? Anyway, at some point it finally dawned on me. Duh. I already had the recipe for the best ricotta dip ever.

Now that I’m thinking straight, I offer you this fabulous summertime (or any other time) recipe for The Best Ricotta Dip. Excellent on toasted baguette slices, crackers, etc. . . It’s also fantastic with garden tomatoes–even stuffed in little ones– or with nearly any roasted vegetable, or as a dip for fried eggplant or zucchini fingers. If you’re looking to cook with Ricotta Dip, go ahead and add that beaten egg to stabilize it. Stuffed shells, ravioli, fried squash blossoms, manicotti, tomato pie, white pizza, red pizza, lasagna, calzones, etc., will all thank you. You can seriously upgrade a boneless chicken breast with this ricotta dip and a simple slice of summer tomato. Or sundried tomatoes. Or good canned tomatoes. Or mushrooms. Or roasted red peppers. Or whatever.

Ricotta Dip and All-Purpose Ricotta Filling

1 lb. ricotta
Dash of nutmeg
Zest of one lemon
1 cup grated parmesan
1 T. parsley flakes
A little milk, cream, or sour cream if ricotta is dry
1 t. salt and ½ t. pepper, or to taste
1 beaten egg (only if cooking the ricotta mixture)

Stir together ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, parmesan, and parsley. Some brands of ricotta are drier than others. You can add a little milk, cream, or sour cream if you think it needs it. Season with salt and pepper, tasting as you go. (The saltiness of the cheeses varies widely.) Add the egg only if using it as an ingredient in a dish to be cooked.

If using as a dip or spread, I like to garnish the ricotta mixture with a drizzle of olive oil, more parsley, and maybe a couple of grinds of black pepper. You could also use torn basil, red pepper flakes, toasted pine nuts, a little pesto, or anything else that complements whatever you’re serving it with.