Farm Salad with Home Made Ricotta and Carrot Top Salsa Verde
This colourful salad makes a great starter or snack for a few people. And if you’ve never made your own cheese before than ricotta is the perfect one to start with as it’s very easy. The leftover “whey” is nutritious and a great ingredient for baking things like scones, as a replacement for stock in risotto, or a boost to your smoothies. Plus, nothing compares to homemade ricotta, trust me your friends will be impressed! I’ve made the salsa verde from the radish and carrot tops that would have otherwise been thrown away. Alone, they are bitter but mixed with the ingredients, they shine! I encourage you and your friends to eat his one with your hands!
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch small baby carrots with tops
1 bunch radishes, with leaves
250g heirloom cherry tomatoes or two truss tomatoes
2 cucumbers
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
handful dill and parsley leaves, to garnish
Carrot Top Salsa Verde: Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups chopped carrot tops (leaves only) and radish leaves
1 cup parsley
1/4 cup dill fronds
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbs dijon mustard
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs capers
1/2 Tbs honey
1 gherkin chopped
4 Tbs olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Ricotta:
2L organic, unhomogenised milk
3 Tbs white vinegar or lemon juice
METHOD:
Cut the tops of the carrots and radish, leaving a couple of cm of stalk so they’re easy to pick up. Save the radish and carrot leaves for the salsa verde. Use only the carrot leaves as the stalks are a little full on.
Now chop your carrots, radish, tomatoes and cucumbers to they’re chunky enough to pick up and scoop the ricotta. Place them all in a bowl with the vinegar and salt, and set aside to “quickle” for about 30 minutes or as long as you have.
Place all the salsa ingredients except the salt and pepper in a food processor and blitz until is forms a runny paste. Add more olive oil if necessary until it reaches your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If it’s too acidic, add a little more honey, half a teaspoon at a time.
To make the ricotta, heat the milk in a large saucepan until it reaches 85-90 degrees, just before boiling, or when you see steam and tiny bubbles forming at the top.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the vinegar or lemon juice, stirring gently for about one minute or until curds start forming- this is your cheese!
Cover the saucepan with a cloth and set aside for as long as you can, 30 minutes to an hour, while the curds do their thing.
Line a colander with muslin and place it over a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ricotta curds to the colander and leave it to drain for about an hour. If the pan still looks milky, you could repeat the process adding a little more acid (vinegar or lemon juice) to get more curds.
Place your ricotta on a large serving dish and arrange your vegetables over the top in a nice colourful, mess. Drizzle over generously with the salsa verde and garnish with parsley and dill. If your entertaining, encourage your guests to eat with their hands. It always tastes better!
Notes:
Leftover sasa verde can be stored in the fridge and used for salads or as a sauce for meats like lamb and steak.