[Sca-cooks] Brief ricotta return. :)

[Ruth Frey]

     Whew!  I ended up having a pretty busy couple of weeks after I posted my question about "ricotta as New Cheese," and didn't have a chance to reply to any of the following posts on the topic.  Thanks to everyone who did respond, though -- it was definitely interesting to see people's thoughts/info on the matter!  

     So I won't end up being considered a "recipe tease," I thought I'd post my Genovese Tart redaction which started the whole thing, complete with my commentary from the time.  I think I'd go with blended cottage cheese now, for accuracy's sake, but FWIW the recipe below makes a darn good tart!  Very useful for large feasts, since the pies can be assembled ahead of time, frozen uncooked, and then tossed in the oven at an appropriate moment.  Good warm or cold.  I tend to like Sabina's cooking.  :)

         -- Ruth

	GENOVESE TART (CHEESE AND SPINACH "PIE")  (16th c. German)

	A recipe adapted from The Cookbook of Sabina Welserin; Sabina was quite fond of "tarts" of all kinds - here is a savory version.  The relative quantities of spinach and "new" cheese (ricotta is used here) have been upped a little in relation to the original recipe, and the quantity of olive oil reduced slightly (to avoid a rather bitter aftertaste), but the proportions are still quite close to the originals.  The quantity of spinach was increased from 18 to 20 oz. because modern frozen chopped spinach comes in 10 oz. packages, so a slight increase in spinach content makes measuring much simpler.  The "new" cheese was increased in quantity based on comments made by the experimental tasters, since I was attempting to balance historical accuracy with general palatability.  The original recipe calls for the curds from 6 oz. of freshly curdled milk - obviously the whole 6 oz. of milk would not convert to curds, but it does allow for a somewhat flexible interpretation of the amou
nt of "fresh" cheese to add.  Also, there is a bit of leeway in exactly what kind of new cheese to add - I chose ricotta, for its pleasing flavor and texture, but modern cottage cheese would probably be equally acceptable as a substitute.

2 pie crusts for 9" covered pie

2 - 10 oz. packages frozen spinach, thawed
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (approx. ¾ c.)
1/3 c. olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
6 oz. ricotta cheese (approx. ¾ c.)

	Preheat oven to 400 F.  Lightly grease a pie pan, and put in the bottom pie crust.  Drain off any excess water from spinach by putting it into a strainer or colander and pressing down on it with the bottom of a large bowl.  Combine spinach, oil, and cheeses in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Spoon filling into pie crust, smooth down, and cover with top crust, sealing edges well.  Put into oven, turn heat down to 375 F, and bake for approx. 1 hour.  Makes as many servings as you cut pieces - figure about 8.