It has come to my awareness that this blog is trending in certain unintended directions. One of these is “mashup” titles, like Falentil, Squashsagna, Avoziki, Hummole, and Quichetata. Megan is embarrassed by these titles, though she enjoys the foods themselves. Brian is only embarrassed if I come up with something that sounds really ridiculous. He’s home for a few weeks, so he advised me on the title of this one. Well, advised is a little mild. He bullied me into it. And since I am so gaga in love with my kids, they can totally get away with this sort of bullying. I won’t tell you the other contenders for the name of this recipe because it will embarrass both kids, and really, why do that if it’s not necessary?

It was Brian’s idea to make whipped ricotta. Last year, he had some at a restaurant in Washington, and this discovery coincided with the occasion on which I tried my hand at homemade ricotta. Homemade ricotta is delicious, and homemade whipped ricotta is a revelation. Try it some time with truffle oil, salt, and lots of black pepper.

This week, I had some avocados that were less than perfect. You know that I have a secret to increasing the likelihood of ending up with perfect avocados, but this time, the system failed. So, I needed a dish that would make use of slightly funky avos and I happened to have some ricotta in the fridge. The results were so tasty that I went out and bought more ingredients to make another batch the following day.

This creamy, light, smooth, dreamy, stuff is terrific as a savory topping, dip, or condiment. Slightly tart from the citrus, it is best described as a creamier guacamole. For this post, I pair it with roasted carrots and watermelon radish. Brian had some on a wrap with sliced chicken. It would be at home any place you would serve guacamole; with crackers, chips, fajitas, grilled steak, shrimp, or salmon. Try it in your kitchen and be sure to leave me a comment to let me know how you serve it.

Ricottacado

This keeps well for a couple of days. Makes a little more than a cup.

2 ripe avocados
½ cup whole milk ricotta*
1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
optional: olive oil, for serving

It’s really easy and fun to make homemade ricotta, and this recipe is even better if you do!

Place the avocados and ricotta in a food processor (I used my mini). Zest the lime, and add both the zest and the juice. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper, blend, taste and adjust seasoning. Place in a pretty bowl and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.

If you have leftovers, make sure you press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ricottacavo to prevent browning.

Roasted Rainbows

I used carrots and watermelon radish here. You may use this technique for just about any root vegetable: parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, beets…

Wash vegetables and peel if desired. Cut into pieces of relatively similar thickness. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, sugar, and pepper, and toss well. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

You may roast these at any temp you like, the roasting time varies. I’ve done them at 275° for an hour, at 350° for 40 minutes, or at 450° for 25 minutes. When they are done, a knife slips in easily. Or just bite a piece. Serve immediately to enjoy them at their best. But they’re pretty wonderful at room temp or chilled, too.

Blog note: I am proud to announce that I am a featured seller on Propped, a new on-line marketplace devoted to beautiful handmade kitchenware. Find my Propped Shop here. And, the Etsy Shop is going strong, so you now have two terrific options to shop DebsPots for your own kitchen, or for someone you love.