Georgia: Fresh, perky, full of texture and vibrant flavours. If you haven’t tried roasting your ricotta yet, what are you waiting for? Instead of melting, it becomes softer and creamier and absorbs all the flavours you surround it with. A brilliant lunch or dish for a dinner party. Do you use fresh artichokes if you can get hold of them.
Ingredients
6 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans with their bean stock ( or 2 x 400g tins of butter beans with 200ml veg stock)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
250g ricotta
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fried chilli flakes
A few sprigs of thyme
3-4 jarred or fresh artichokes, quartered
To Serve
Zest of ½ lemon
A big handful of mint
Green salad
Directions
Preheat the oven to 220C/425G/gas 7. Warm half the oil in a medium pan over a medium-low heat and gently fry the garlic until fragrant and just beginning to colour very slightly, about 3 minutes.
Add the beans with their bean stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cider vinegar, then transfer to a baking tray or roasting dish. They should be pretty wet.
Make a small space in the middle of the beans and up-end your ricotta into the tray. Dot around the artichokes and sprinkle the oregano, chilli flakes, and thyme sprigs over everything. Season well, then drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the ricotta are just beginning to darken.
Zest over the lemon, scatter over the mint leaves and serve with a fresh green salad.
This recipe is from Georgia Levy's newsletter "THE LUNCHBOX", a bi-monthly newsletter with just about as much light-hearted food and recipe content you can consume. Georgia is a recipe developer, food stylist + chef; check out more of her incredible work on her Instagram and website. You can also subscribe to her newsletter here for more EXCLUSIVE bean recipes + other deliciousness.
