Hot Ricotta Dip with Thyme, Chilli and Garlic

The word 'dip' implies a cold mixture, but why shouldn't it be piping hot, molten and herby? Because winter's coming roaring towards us in the Cape, my thoughts have turned to comforting food, so here's my first cold-weather recipe of the season.

I'm such a fan of good ricotta cheese. I admit that it doesn't have the sexy, fatty, stringiness of melted hard cheeses, or the creamy crumbliness of a good feta or similar white cheese. But I love the plainness and cleanness of the taste of ricotta, and its wonderful grainy texture.

Here's a basic recipe for a hot ricotta dip that you can gussy up with all sort of interesting ingredients. Here, I've used chopped artichoke hearts, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and dried chilli flakes, but you can really add anything you please, provided that it's an ingredient that tastes good hot. Avocado, for example, is out, and I'd avoid anything with a vaguely bitter taste, such as olives.

Make sure you serve this piping hot, and straight away. The leftovers are lovely on hot toast, for breakfast. This makes quite a large quantity, but the recipe is easily halved.

Hot Ricotta Dip with Herbs, Chilli and Garlic
350 g fresh ricotta cheese
100 g finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) dried red chilli flakes
the juice of half a lemon
a clove of garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp (10 ml) finely snipped chives
2 T (30 ml) olive oil
a tin of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
salt and milled black pepper, to taste

Heat the oven to 180ºC. Set aside a quarter of the grated Pecorino. Put all the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir very well to combine. The mixture should form a slightly firm paste. If it looks too dry, add a little milk. Pack the mixture into bowls and top with the remaining grated Pecorino. Bake at 180º C for ten minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and heated right through. Now turn on the oven grill and grill for a few minutes, or until the topping is golden. Serve very hot, with nachos or crackers.

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter

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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

The reason the croutons in this photograph are in the shape of twee little hearts is because I just love this recipe: it's one of the best soups I've ever tasted. The recipe comes from Simon Hopkinson's book Roast Chicken and Other Stories*, and includes poached scallops, but as Johannesburg is hardly the epicentre of scallop production I had to make do without. And oh, my goodness, it is good: creamy, earthy, slightly nutty, with a mere whisper of thyme.

My friend Julia gave me a whole bag of these beautiful Jerusalem artichokes, which she grew from a few tubers given to her by someone at a farmer's market. These aren't easy to find, but greengrocers here in Johannesburg occasionally stock them.

These veggies are the very devil to peel, but you do need to peel them well to prevent your soup being freckled with brown bits. A very sharp, short-bladed paring knife and loud music is the way to go.

I added a peeled potato to this recipe (oh me of little faith; I thought there was too much liquid to too few artichokes) , but I needn't have, because the milk reduces as the artichokes cook. Still, I've kept the potato in this recipe. Do use a good home-made chicken stock.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

50 g butter (about 3 T; 45 ml)
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
300 ml good chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
400 ml milk
220 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
salt and milled black pepper
100 ml cream
a handful of chopped fresh parsley

Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onions. Cook, over a medium heat, until soft, but don't allow them to brown. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. Now add the milk, the artichokes and the potato, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the artichoke and potato pieces are very soft. 'You may find that the liquid has a messy separated look about it, but once it has been liquidised... it will all come back together,' says Hopkinson.

Fish out the bay leaf and thyme and use a stick blender or liquidiser to purée the soup. Strain back into the pot and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve hot, with croutons.

Serves 4.

* This book, co-written with Lindsey Bareham,was voted the most useful cookery book of all time, and it's not difficult to see why. The sequel is just as good.

* Hopkinson says he first saw this recipe in The Four Seasons Cookbook by Margaret Costa Print Friendly