Ricotta Forte

Name: Ricotta Forte
Ingredients: 3 anchovies, preserved under salt; 3 cups whole-milk ricotta; 1/4 cup grappa or Cognac; 2 small, whole red chile peppers, crushed, or 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon dried chile flakes; 3 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; 1/3 cup capers, preserved under salt, rinsed and dried

6 ingredients

7 steps

Ingredients

3 anchovies, preserved under salt
3 cups whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup grappa or Cognac
2 small, whole red chile peppers, crushed, or 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon dried chile flakes
3 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/3 cup capers, preserved under salt, rinsed and dried

Directions

1

Rinse the anchovies.
2

Remove their heads and bones and dry lightly on absorbent paper towels.
3

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, whip the ricotta with the grappa to a smooth cream.
4

Turn the ricotta out into a bowl.
5

In a mortar with a pestle, grind the chile peppers with the garlic and the anchovies to a paste.
6

Stir the paste into the ricotta, blending the components thoroughly before folding in the capers.
7

Turn the ricotta into a large terra-cotta crock or several smaller rustic sorts of vessels, covering them tightly with plastic wrap, and permitting them an overnight rest in the refrigerator to marry their good, compatible flavors and perfumes.