I've been working pretty hard to find recipes that do not require me to start the oven this summer and when I saw this recipe for homemade ricotta cheese I knew I had to make it. You see, the grainy stuff you find in the grocery store is a poor, poor excuse for ricotta. Any Italian will tell you that it's no good, but what can you do? Many Italians in the LA area seek out Gioia ricotta, which is the best you can find around. But when I saw how simple it is to make ricotta at home, I'm just not sure I would make the effort to go out of my way for another ricotta. Very simple and delicious. I paired it with a seeded baguette and slow roasted tomatoes (my newest obsession that I will soon be experimenting with) from Trader Joe's. Yum.
To accompany our toasts I made a fennel and orange salad. Thinly slice two bulbs of fennel (a mandolin works great for this); using a knife peel the skin and outer membrane off two oranges and cut the segments from the membrane (aka supreme); when you are done with each orange squeeze the remaining "core" over the fennel; thinly slice about 5 lg mint leaves and add to oranges and fennel; add a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Fried Zucchini Blossoms were the final piece of the meal. One which Ilan swore he would not eat until I gave him a tiny piece of the fried batter. The boys loved them. I would post my pictures, but the Bon Appetit pictures are much prettier.
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