Multicolored Pepper And Bean Salad With Ricotta Salata And Herbs Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a large ice bath; set aside. Fill a stockpot with water; bring to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add green beans and wax beans to boiling water, and cook just until they are crisp-tender and their color brightens, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer beans to ice bath to stop cooking and to preserve the color. Drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Slice larger beans in half lengthwise. Set aside in a large bowl.
• Make vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine shallots, capers (if using), vinegar, and a pinch of salt; let stand 15 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add olive oil.
• Meanwhile, slice peppers as thinly as possible using a sharp knife or mandoline. Add to bowl with beans. Drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to combine; season with salt and black pepper. Just before serving, tear basil and mint leaves into small pieces, and crumble ricotta salata. Stir herbs and cheese into salad, and serve.

Steps:

• For the whipped ricotta: Place the ricotta, olive oil and salt in a food processor. Blend until light and smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
• For the dressing: Place the basil, pine nuts, vinegar, salt and pepper flakes in a food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a smooth dressing. Set aside.
• For the salad: In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, snap peas and arugula with the dressing.
• To assemble: Spread the whipped ricotta on the bottom of a platter. Place the dressed salad on top of the ricotta, leaving some of the cheese exposed around the edges. Serve.

Steps:

• Prepare a large ice-water bath; set aside. Fill a stockpot with water; bring to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the green beans and wax beans to the boiling water, and cook just until they are crisp-tender and their color brightens, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop the cooking and to preserve the color. Drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Slice the larger beans in half lengthwise. Set aside in a large bowl.
• Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the shallots, capers (if using), vinegar, and a pinch of salt; let stand 15 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil.
• Meanwhile, slice the peppers as thinly as possible using a sharp knife or mandoline. Add to the bowl with the beans. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss to combine; season with salt and black pepper. Just before serving, tear the basil and mint leaves into small pieces, and crumble the ricotta salata. Stir the herbs and cheese into the salad.

Steps:

• Crumble the cheese into a bowl. Add the basil, chives, mint, oregano and thyme. Mix until the herbs coat the crumbled cheese.
• Arrange the large tomatoes on a serving platter, overlapping the slices slightly. Scatter the cherry tomatoes on top. Season with salt.
• Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tomatoes and let sit for 10 minutes.
• To serve, scatter the cheese over the tomatoes and garnish with basil, mint, oregano and thyme sprigs.

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of cold water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and trimmed beans. Cook until beans are just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and immediately plunge beans into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain, pat dry, and place in a large bowl along with ricotta salata and basil leaves.
• In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
• Pour vinaigrette over bean mixture and toss well.

Steps:

• Trim the leaves of the kale above where the stems become thick. (You're going to eat this raw; steam the stems for another use if you like.) Stack the leaves in a pile, roll them like a cigar, and slice it thin crosswise.
• Mix together the shallot, lemon juice, salt (go easy on this at first since the cheese is salty), and oil; taste and add more oil if you like.
• Toss the dressing with the kale and ricotta salata, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and add enough salt so that you can taste it. Bring to a boil. Pour the chicken broth into a small saucepan, drop in the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Remove garlic. Shut off the heat; add the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste. It should be highly seasoned because this will be the sauce for the pasta. Keep warm. Place 4 serving bowls in a low oven.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. After five minutes, ladle out about 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta, shake, then return it to the pot. Place over low heat and pour in the chicken broth. Sprinkle in the mint, marjoram and fennel and a little olive oil. Stir. The pasta should be brothy and lemony. Add some of the reserved cooking water, salt and more lemon juice, if needed.
• Spoon into bowls so that the pasta is lying in a bit of broth. Crumble the ricotta over top, sprinkle with a dash more oil and grind pepper over the top. Serve.

Steps:

• Bring barley and 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until barley is tender, about 40 minutes. Drain if necessary.
• Meanwhile, place shallot in a large bowl, and whisk in mustard, oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir in barley and herbs. Serve warm.