I loved baked ricotta tarts … especially when there are amazing flavours added like salami, caramelised onions and capers!
Generally I always have some sourdough on hand, and usually three decent slices will give you the 250g you need for this recipe. If you don’t have any sourdough, then use a fairly firm style of bread that is a few days old so that it will mill into breadcrumbs easily.
You will need 500g ricotta for this recipe, so if you have a fairly wet ricotta drain it first but ensure that you are left with at least 500g (some commercial ricotta can be very wet, whilst others can be relatively firm, so it will all depend on what you end up buying, or if you choose to make it yourself).
I make my own caramelised red onion chutney, which is a Thermomix Cookidoo recipe (see here), but you can use a commercial jar of caramelised onions which I have also done and works well too (see here). PS: If you are a Cookidoo member you will be able to access the recipe via the above link, but unfortunately I am unable to provide it to you as it is not my recipe.
I like using a hot salami with plenty of chilli, and these days you can access some lovely high quality salami made with free range pork which I do enjoy every now and then.
The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers are equally delicious served at room temperature the next day … it is a perfect light lunch or dinner dish with salad, or can be served as an entree with dinner as long as the portions are not too big. Because there is quite a bit of dairy in the dish, it can be a little filling if there is more food being served afterwards.
- 120g cheddar cheese, cubed (50g is used in base, 70g is used in filling)
- 250g sourdough, cut into cubes
- 50g extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- 100g salami of choice, sliced (we like it very spicy)
- 500g ricotta, well drained (you need 500g for this recipe)
- 150g cream
- 70g cheddar (from the 120g already milled)
- 3 x 60g eggs
- 20g cornflour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- 50g capers, drained
- 4 tbls caramelised onions (you will need approximately 120g)
- 3 to 4 sprigs of mint, leaves only, sliced
- Generously grease sides of a 24cm round springform cake tin (base measurement) with olive oil, and line base with baking paper
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan forced, and position rack into middle of oven
- Place 120g cheddar into TM bowl and chop 4 seconds / speed 8, put aside, do not clean TM bowl
- Add sourdough to TM bowl and chop 10 seconds / speed 8
- Add 50g of the chopped cheese (keep balance for filling), along with the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix 5 seconds / reserve / speed 4 (this will combine the ingredients without chopping the bread any finer as you want it to be slightly chunky) – do not clean TM bowl as you will continue using it for the filling
- Press the mix into the tin levelling it with the back of a spoon so that it covers the base evenly
- Place into oven and bake 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted around the edges and the top looks firm, remove and put aside while you make the filling (it takes 15 minutes in my oven)
- Place the sliced salami into the TM bowl and chop 5 seconds / speed 5, put aside
- Add the ricotta, cream, 70g cheddar (from previously milled), eggs, cornflour, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the TM bowl and blend 30 seconds / speed 4
- Scrape around bowl and repeat 30 seconds / speed 4 until well combined
- Add the capers and use a spatula to swirl them around into the mix
- Spread the mix over the sourdough base and use the back of a spoon to level the top
- Sprinkle the salami over the top ensuring that you get a fairly even spread of it
- Then dollop a few spoonfuls of the caramelised onions over the salami, then scatter over the chopped mint
- Place tart in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 180 degrees fan, and bake 30 minutes, turn tart around and bake for a further 10 minutes until the top is lightly puffed and golden (it takes a total of 40 minutes in my oven)
- Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the tin to release the ring
- Use the baking paper to help slide the tart onto a cutting board
- Sprinkle with extra mint leaves, cut into wedges and serve
You will need 500g ricotta for this recipe, so if you have a fairly wet ricotta drain it first but ensure that you are left with at least 500g (some commercial ricotta can be very wet, whilst others can be relatively firm, so it will all depend on what you end up buying, or if you choose to make it yourself).
I make my own caramelised red onion chutney, which is a Thermomix Cookidoo recipe (see main post for link), but you can also use a commercial jar which I have also done and works well too (see main post for link to what I have used).
The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers are equally delicious served at room temperature the next day ... it is a perfect light lunch or dinner dish with salad, or can be served as an entree with dinner as long as the portions are not too big.
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