My Most Popular Appetizer

We entertain all of the time. It's a hobby. Often it's an impromptu affair. Someone is dropping by for a drink (or dinner), it's the weekend, and I've spent most of the day knee-deep in a house project. Somehow I need to shower, run to the store, and whip up something in under an hour. This recipe is my most popular go-to appetizer recipe.

What about you? Having someone special over? Want to dazzle them? You can fix this in minutes. It looks beautiful. It smells fabulous. Unlike a port wine cheese ball, your guest have probably never had this before. And frankly, you may never get to eat dinner. Paired with a nice red wine and you can scarf this stuff down and be entirely content.

People ask me for the recipe all the time. And it's so versatile, you can use it in 50 different ways.

So what's this wonder dish? Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Sea Salt & Herbs

The recipe hails from Andrew Carmellini's "Urban Italian" cookbook. I admit I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie - and this one is a favorite. I highly recommend it. Andrew is a great storyteller and he does a great job bringing great flavors without pretense. This recipe is no exception. Andrew's gnocchi recipe rocks too, but that's for another day.

Here's the ingredients from Andrew's recipe from his website.

SHEEP’S MILK RICOTTA, SEA SALT & HERBS

Serves 6
Time: About 10 minutes plus a little more if you’re a serving with Grilled Country Bread

2 cups Sardinian sheep’s milk ricotta
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Calabrian oregano
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon course-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Now hold on a minute. I know what you're thinking. You're reading the ingredients and thinking to yourself, "I'm not sure I have a high quality purveyor of Sardinian sheep's milk ricotta." Consequently, you are now entirely ready to bail on this recipe. Whoa. Relax. We make things easy around here.

Head to your local food store (any one with a decent selection of cheeses) and look for Ricotta Salata. I get mine at the local Whole Foods. It isn't as obscure as you think.

Ricotta salata looks a lot like feta. Basically it's a salted and pressed ricotta cheese that is aged for a couple of months. Ricotta is a whey product - the liquid stuff left over from making most cheese (the curds). When very fresh, it is utterly fabulous. By salting and pressing it, you preserve the cheese's great quality for several more weeks. A queso fresco is a reasonable substitute as is feta, but if you can find ricotta salata - get it. Why should you care about this bit of cheese lore? After you make this, someone will ask "I love this. What's in it?" I want your answer to be as brilliant as your food.

The instructions are simple - whip up the ricotta with the whole milk so that it is smooth and silky. Andrew likes to use a mixer. I prefer the food processor. Ricotta salata is a little grainy. You have to wail on it a little to make it soft and silky. I find the food processor's blades do this nicely. Add milk a little at a time, watching the consistency as you go. You're looking for something that will spread and then stick to bread. Think peanut butter. Not too soupy. Not too thick. Go slow and you'll get it. Mix in the salt but be careful. Salata means salt. You don't want to overdue it. Add a little, taste, and adjust accordingly.

Add the mix to a serving bowl and top with herbs, sea salt, and seasonings. I use fresh oregano from the garden. I also add a touch of fresh thyme.

Top with olive oil (use a good quality olive oil) so that some dip is revealed and surrounded by a lovely pool of olive oil.

Grilled bread? No worries. Pick a good rustic country bread. A ciabatta, a boule, a peasant bread - all will work. Cut into thick slices and grill and be sure to rotate so you get nice grill marks. Too cold to grill? No worries. I've even put this on the gas flame on my stove. Broil it. Use a panini maker. Use a grill pan on the stove. Heck - use a toaster if you have too. Rub the resulting slices with a piece of raw garlic. You're good to go.

Get a nice white serving tray. Place the bowl with the dip in the center and surround with the nicely charred rustic bread.

You can use this a lot of different ways too. Top your pasta with it. Stuff shells with it. Mix it in an omelet. On pizza? Divine.

Now go have someone over. Serve this, but be prepared. You're in for some adoration.

I'd encourage you to follow Andrew Carmellini on twitter at @andrecarmellini
His cookbook "Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food" is available on Amazon

Preheating This Blog

I've been cooking since I was 12 years old. To be clear - experience does not equal talent. It just means I've been doing it a long time. It isn't my job, it's just an ongoing hobby.

I started in my grandfather's kitchen in Jersey City. He was a German immigrant who came to this country when he was 11 years old. He learned English on his own. He forged his way as a fisherman, tug boat captain, and butcher and general store owner - all through hard work and determination. He was stocky, quiet, confident, and loving. And when my sisters and I would go from the New Jersey suburbs to spend a weekend there, we ate the food that he (and my grandma) had been cooking for decades. Roasted cuts of beef, oxtail soup, spaetzle, red cabbage, and many other mostly humble foods. It was simple, delicious food. While turmoil raged in my parent's marriage, these trips were an oasis of comfort. I recall the fabulous smell of food that hit you the moment you walked in the house. There was a sense of peace and anticipation. You knew good things were coming.

Between hours building toy models and playing in the yard, I'd hang out in the kitchen. I'd watch as my grandparents orchestrated simple culinary magic. I'd learn a little, and I'd eat a lot.

That experience pushed my curiosity. As a kid, I ate a wide variety of foods. I liked liver and onions and had it once for my special birthday dinner. I loved duck, bluefish, and I ate lobster whenever I could. But it was my grandparents' oxtail-barley soup that really captured my heart.

Food does that. It reminds you of good times, special events, and great people. Think about it from a historical standpoint. Feasts and festivals are central to human history. Heck - even God used food as a central point in great covenants with his people. Think manna from heaven, Passover, and the Last Supper. Food is central to our special moments in life.

Sure, we all enjoy the occasional lobster dinner or the standing rib roast. However, the food that resonates most is the simple fare, not haute cuisine. Who doesn't appreciate a good fried chicken, a home made loaf of bread, or a great bowl of pasta? In Louisiana, it's a gumbo or a poor boy that makes people smile. A chowder in New England, a low country bowl in Charleston, a fish boil in Wisconsin, or great barbecue in (pick your location and style) Kansas City, Memphis, North Carolina, or Austin. Perhaps your heart is drawn to memories of the covered dish at the baptist church. Maybe you recall pastries at the Greek Orthodox church or hot pastrami at that tremendous NY deli. And don't even get me started on pizza....

In the end, food connects us, makes our great moments greater, and our darker moments just a little brighter.

Yet for many, food is complicated. For some, the thought of cooking ranks right up there with public speaking. For others, cooking defines their very lives. Each plate is validation of their superior tastes and skills. I promise, we'll keep this simple. This is about gathering with friends and family around a table, having a laugh or two, in humble fellowship. We'll focus on hospitality - making others feel relaxed, welcome, and special. We'll focus on simple fare, big on flavor and low on pretense, but maybe uncommon too! We'll mix in a few good libations along the way. It's not about you, the cook. It's about making the guests feel special. And if you're dining alone - it's about making you feel special too.

So tell me - what food memories make you smile?

Now pour yourself a cup of something and let's get started.