Today we propose a taste of Puglia, a marvellous region where much of our wheat is grown, with a tasty dish of Yellow Label Orecchiette with a fresh plum tomato, basil oil and strong ricotta sauce.
The strong ricotta is one of the typical agri-food products of Puglia: a long fermentation process transforms the consistency, colour and taste of the ricotta, which becomes creamy and yellowish, with a penetrating smell and salty, spicy taste. Used in small amounts, it structures sauces and fillings, but it can also be eaten by simply spreading over bread. If its flavour is too intense for your palate, you can always replace it with salted ricotta or even sweet ricotta, which is ideal for younger children.
Ingredients (serves 2)
160g Sgambaro Yellow Label Orecchiette
300 g plum tomatoes
10 basil leaves
Garlic, salt and EVOO
Ricotta of your choice
Preparation
Blanch the plum tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and skin them. Place them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, sprinkle them with salt and oregano and bake them for 15 minutes at 160°. Finely chop a clove of garlic and put it in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of EVOO and mix well. Remove the plum tomatoes from the oven, drizzle the garlic oil over them and bake them once again at 160° for another 15 minutes. Blend the cooked tomatoes with an immersion blender until obtaining a consistent sauce that is not too fine.
Then move on to the pesto: put about ten leaves of basil into a jug together with a few grains of salt, or a pinch of fine salt and 20 ml of EVOO and blend together.
Toss the Orecchiette in boiling salted water, cook and drain. Drizzle a little raw EVOO onto the pasta, add the tomato sauce and mix well. Finish off the dish with the basil oil and small clumps of strong ricotta: first taste it to see how much you want to add to the pasta. Enjoy your meal!
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