Quick! Need your help.

Am having a girls lunch at my house tomorrow.  8 women; 445,000 kids. Be afraid, be very afraid. I am inviting a new girlfriend into the club, also a single mom to meet my other single moms.  I realized I have quite a few single mom friends (4). And ex infertile friends (4 of us plus one ex egg donor). And drinking friends (all of us). Only one of my friends is not a mom, and doesn’t want kids.  She says she will make sure she drinks her bottle of wine BEFORE she arrives. 

 

Even scarier, I’ve decided to cook.  I have recently discovered how to make a particularly handsome roast veg pasta.  However, because I like living life on the edge I have decided to add a new ingredient for tomorrow’s soirée. Ricotta. I had delicious roast veg pasta at a restaurant recently and they had added Ricotta to the dish.  Was v yummy. Also want Ricotta in my dish.

 

When do I add the Ricotta?  Just before serving? Or do I need to bake it with pasta for a while? How long before serving? For how long?

 

V nervous about the cooking, but I’ve made it several times before, just not for so many people.  I am sure it is fine to just double the ingredients?  Right?

 

Bloody hell. Maybe I should drink a bottle of wine before as well.

 

 

Comments

[Izabela]

I usually add feta, but definitively at the last moment, esp. if you want chunks of cheese there. If you add it too early, you'll get stringy look to your sauce and no cheese visible. Party sounds great.

[DebbieS]

Hi Tertia! A bonafide Sicilian cook here...it's fine to just combine the ricotta in with your cooked ingredients, so long as they are warm enough that the cheese won't chill the dish too much. A nice thing to do is to reserve a little of the pasta water before you drain your noodles...if the dish gets a bit "dry", the hot water will moisten it, and the starch in it thickens any sauce you may be using. I make pasta with tomato sauce and ricotta all the time (easy Italian "fast food") and this works great.

Now, because you may actually be awake and online on your side of the world...how do I get a sick AND teething 7 month-old to sleep? Sheis SO tired, drooling like a St. Bernard and coughing =(

Good luck with your luncheon!

[Miranda]

I'd agree with the last minute theory, it's the only way adding cheese like that works well. However, a bowl of crumbled ricotta to serve for your guests to add more as well is always a nice touch :) Let us know how it goes.

[paola]

Agree (this time from a half Italian cook). Add the ricotta at the end, heat through with the sauce and stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta cooking water to the sauce if it shows signs of getting stodgy (which it probably will do).

If you want to keep your hands free for drinking you could bake the pasta dish (Italians call this a pasticcio). Use short stubby pasta (shells or penne) and make the sauce a little wetter than normal (more pasta water or more tomato etc. in the original ingredients) so that it doesn't get stodgy in the oven. Stir in the ricotta, sprinkle grated Parmesan on the top and bake for around 20 minutes at about 190 degrees Centigrade until the top is golden and bubbling.

Sounds marvellous, can I come?

If your existing recipe serves 4 then doubling quantities is fine.

[Tracey]

Hi Tertia,

Why not leave the cheese on the table and let them add it if they want, the pasta should be warm enough to melt it just slightly, and if there are guests that don't enojy cheese then they don't have to eat it.
I personally can't eat cheese, and Have had plenty lunches where I couldnt eat the food because of that reason.

[Brooklyn Girl]

What the others said: add the ricotta at the end, probably with a bit of reserved pasta water.

[Suzie-Q.]

Hi T.~
Unless you want it be a "parmiagana" type dish where everything is melted all together, you will need to add the Ricotta after it is all tossed and cooked (in chunks). I wouldn't worry about folks who don't eat cheese... b/c then you also have to worry about folks that can't eat tomatoes, peppers, pasta, etc. Truly the only highly allergic food you ever need to worry about is peanuts. If your guests have a "cheese issue" they can just drink more wine!! ;)
Good luck Martha!!!!

[Moxie]

DebbieS, she's probably coughing because of all the drool going down the back of her throat. Poor little thing. You can try propping the head of the crib. Also, I'd give her a homeopathic teethign remedy (to decrease the restlessness and help her relax) and a pain reliever like acetominphen.

[Anette (Brazil)]

Add the cheese at the last moment, but make sure it is warm enough (no good when cold).

Ahh, just to make things a little complicated, CHEVRE (goat cheese) is so much better than Ricotta. And perfect with vegies.

Hugs,

[Mel]

Am not only drinking my btl before I get there - Am bringing back-up case. Just in case.... hic!

[jenny]

Have a great time at your lunch. You already have enough culinary advice so I won't bother. If it turns out fab, you should give us the recipe. Ha ha, Tertia posting recipes - who would have thought?

[Liz]

At my very favorite Italian restaurant they serve a pasta dish with ricotta. They put a big spoonful of it on top of the pasta and sauce. It's nice b/c you can mix it in if you want to or not if you don't. I'd recommend taking the ricotta out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time though so it's at room temperature. That way it won't cool off the pasta.

[Jo]

Okay, not to be a cooking asshole (okay, I'm a cooking asshole!), but are you using Ricotta Salata (i.e., the aged version), or Ricotta, the fresh cheese version (like what you use for lasagna)? With people talking about "melting", that would only apply to Ricotta Salata. If you are using regular fresh ricotta, and if you are baking this pasta dish, no problem to add the ricotta before you put it in the oven to bake. If you are tossing fresh pasta and serving it from the pan, then add it at the last to warm it up (along with some pasta water like others have said to loosen up the sauce). If you are looking for dollops of ricotta, rather than incorporating the ricotta into the sauce, then yes, just dab it on at the end and yes, take it out of the fridge in advance to get the chill off. Okay, will take my asshole know-it-all cook hat off. :)

[Boulder]

First off. Have a glass or two before they come, makes cooking much more fun. Don't polish off bottle, though, save some to offer first gues who can join you in the kitchen and be your assistant!

I'm guessing that the roast veggies pasta you are doing doesn't really have a "sauce" but is probably some veggies coated with some EVOO (extra virgin - heh.virgin - olive oil), and then put into the oven or on the grill - correct?

And then you are tossing that with cooked pasta - correct?

If you are going straight to the table and everyone is ready to eat, I'd do the ricotta with the pasta, and then toss in the veggies & take to table.

If you think there will be a delay in getting to the table, then I'd bake at 350 F (sorry), for about 10-15 minutes or so to heat through. If you like a baked cheese layer on top (like a lasagna) you could top with parmesan/romano and/or mozarella, and at the last 2 mintues turn the broiler on and with the oven door open at the top for you to peek in (because you will be standing there!) watch it bubble and then pull out.

Turn oven off to avoid flames!

Have some ricotta on the table or some parmesan in a bowl with a spoon (just freshly grated) for everyone to pass around.

Pasta is great dish. V v proud of you - cooking!

xoxo

[Kel]

Of all the good wishes I've sent your way, there are some news ones coming now. Sooo veeerrry braavee ! You are what? I'm sorry what? Cooking? Well, these must be great broads (hope that translates, its American Hollywood slang for great women).

Kel

[Alex/Infertile Gourmet]

I am the infertile gourmet....and since you offered to help with my crisis du jour here is my splattering of an offering back. Crisis karma. 1. Drink the bottle of wine. 2. Start on a second bottle. 3. Add ricotta at end so it tastes fresh because it is a fresh cheese without age so it does not need to be cooked.
4. drink a glass for moi....I am still not sure if I am allowed any.

[Louise]

Hi T. Am a can't cook, won't cook person so can't help you there, though sounds like you have plenty of great advice.

What I wanted to comment (belatedly) on was a title for your book. I realise it's a few days past now and not too sure if you go back to read new comments so thought I'd um hijack this one, sorry.

Anyway I was thinking the other day of the saying "necessity is the mother of invention" and thought of this "infertility is the mother of many in heaven and on earth" or something along those lines. You'd have to work in the so close bit somewhere. Thought it was apt as it can encompass all your babies in the title.

Good luck with your dinner arrangements, I'd start on the wine now. Do you like NZ wine?

[Beth in Michigan]

Looks like your getting some good advice here already so I'm just delurking to say WOW! That sounds delicious, please share the recipe and WOW! I can't believe you're cooking and I love the way you aren't afraid to step out of your comfort zone! You are G&D. Have fun and don't drink too much wine before or you might forget to add the ricotta! ;)

[Liz]

Bravo on cooking. Yay. Can you post a picture of your delicious pasta?

[Sharon]

Sounds Yummy! You must share the recipe and experience. I am more of a US southern cook (when I do cook), but often enjoy eating different ethnic dishes (eating out). I love veggies and pasta and LOVE LOVE cheese!

Have fun with the girls lunch.

[scott]

I just had your now famous pasta for supper as leftovers. I can't say anything nice, since you didn't invite me to your sucky old lunch. Oh, 'I'm a man so I can't gooo' -fine excuse. Grumble.
Ok, it really was very nice pasta- *insert manly buuuurp here*
Hannah loved it, so you are going to have to become her personal chef. Bet you'd look great in a big paper hat, T.

[paola]

Yay! Tertia now has 'famous' pasta! Cool...