Recipe
Spinach and Ricotta Tapa
Media are welcome to reprint this recipe only when including the following language: “Excerpted from Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres, by Hallie Harron, © 2008 used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.”
Spinach and Ricotta Tapa
Serves 6
Cheese Choices: Try California fromage blanc for the ricotta and Asiago for the feta.
Kudos to my friend Jo Weibel, who adores cheese and has enough family recipes on the subject to write her own book. She shared this Mediterranean appetizer—sort of like a frittata or Spanish tortilla—with me, and I loved it both warm and cold. It is particularly nice with an afternoon glass of dry sherry.
One 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
One 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium-size ripe tomato, cored and chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Squeeze the spinach until all the liquid has been removed. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and spinach, cover, and steam until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses, eggs, and basil. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread the mixture in a 9-inch oiled springform pan or other round baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon the chopped tomato over the top. Cut into small wedges and serve on small plates.
