roasted beets and ricotta pasta

roast some new beets in a little package made from aluminium foil, put in some olive oil and thyme.

Penne with courgettes, cherry tomatoes, ricotta and parmesan

Loosely based on a recipe from the River Café Cook Book Two. Serves 2 (or split the veg in half and eat the leftovers as a salad the next day).

three small courgettes

a pack of cherry tomatoes

half a tub of ricotta

penne

garlic

basil

parmesan

Trim the courgettes and blanch whole (or cut in half) in salted water for 2–5 minutes. Slice at an angle. Cook the pasta. Mince the garlic and soften (not brown) in some olive oil, then add the courgettes and season with pepper. Fry until the penne is done, then crumble over the ricotta, add the basil, mix in the pasta, and take off the heat. Plate up, grate over a good amount of parmesan and serve.

Pasta with beetroot and ricotta

Courtesy of Anne B. My beetroot–ricotta mixture was quite solid, and would actually work well as a filling for ravioli or cannelloni. It’s not really a sauce, as it’s too thick to coat the pasta, but it’s perfect for scooping up with some chunky pasta shapes. If you want it runnier, try adding some milk. Serves 2.

two or three beetroots

half a tub of ricotta

pasta

thyme (fresh or dried)

Loosely wrap the beetroots in foil with some olive oil and thyme and roast in a 220°C oven for about 45 minutes. When cooled slightly, boil the pasta. Peel and roughly grate the beets, then heat up in some olive oil with more thyme, salt and pepper (some ground coriander and/or fennel seeds work well too). Stir in the ricotta, which will turn the whole thing a truly obnoxious shade of pink, and serve with (or inside) the pasta.