Ricotta with Olives, Almonds & Lemon

Ricotta with Crushed Olives, Almonds, and Lemon

 

Tomorrow night I am hosting a Mediterranean Wine Tasting & Pairing featuring the wines and food of the Mediterranean - France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Sicily. 

I am making this dish - it takes 10 minutes to make with store bought items and guests always love it.

In this easy recipe, top smooth ricotta with crushed green olives, lemon, slivered almonds, and capers for a delicious salty and creamy dip. Drizzled with infused olive oil, it's perfect for serving with crackers, bread, or veggies to kickstart appetites. Sourdough bread is wonderful with it.

Enjoy these ripples of creamy ricotta, drowning in lemon infused olive oil with beautiful olives and crunchy almonds. It’s all my favorite elements of a cheese platter in one bowl.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup slivered almonds

½ cup Sicilian or Castelvetrano green olives, crushed and pips removed

1 tbsp capers

¼ cup parsley, fresh, leaves and stems chopped

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon, zested and juiced 

16 ounces smooth ricotta

METHOD

Place the slivered almonds in a pan over a medium heat. Toast for 4-5 minutes until slightly golden. Toss them occasionally with a wooden spoon to ensure they don’t burn. Set aside in a bowl.

Turn the heat to low then add in the olives, capers and parsley, followed by the olive oil. 

Stir in the lemon zest and juice and allow all the flavors to infuse for 10 minutes over the low heat. 

Meanwhile, spread the ricotta on a plate. 

Pour over the olive oil mixture and top with almonds.

(Liv Kaplan)

Enjoy your weekend!