Ricotta Fritta con Piccola Insalata di Pomodoro (Fried Ricotta with a Little Tomato Salad)

Note from Cheri: The recipe, text and photo below are reprinted with permission from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver (2006 Hyperion). In this book, England's "Naked Chef" travels to Italy to explore this country's many culinary styles. The results are a unique collection of authentic recipes - -- many with Oliver's special touches added -- that are the next best thing to visiting Italy. His style, as always, is casual and entertaining, yet highly educational. Pair that with the gorgeous full color photography and high production value of this book and you've got a cookbook you'll want to read like a novel. Of course the recipes are the stars and you'll find lots choices -- some you're familiar with, others that are unique to American palates -- but all sound tempting and delicious. Click here for more information about this book, another great recipe from Jamie Oliver, along with discount ordering links through Amazon.com.

The nearest thing I can compare these little ricotta "cakes" to is really light gnocci. When cooked the cakes will be thin, crisp, and golden on the outside with a lively, fluffy, silky ricotta inside. They are perfect with a little chopped tomato salad and can be eaten as a starter, a snack, or a hot canapé. I'm sure that once you've tried them you'll be making them all the time -- they are incredibly quick and easy. What you need to do, though, is to make sure that your family are all sitting around the table when you start to fry them (with cutlery and warmed plates ready) because these ricotta cakes taste so good when eaten straight away -- it's worth being a bossy-boots at this point they'll all thank you for it! PS, But your ricotta from a deli or specialty market as supermarket ricotta generally won't work.

1 pound good crumbly ricotta 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving 1 1/2 tablespoons flour sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large egg, preferable organic a large handful of mixed ripe tomatoes (about 1 cup total) 2 sprigs fresh basil 1 fresh red chili, deseeded and finely chopped extra virgin olive oil good red wine vinegar olive oil nutmeg for serving

Serves 6 Mix the ricotta with eh Parmesan, flour, a good pinch of salt, and the egg. Season with a little freshly ground pepper and place in the fridge. Halve the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and discard them. Chop the flesh up into small chunks and drain off any excess liquid. Chop the stems of the basil finely and tear the leaves up roughly, then add to the tomatoes with the chili. Season with salt and pepper, a glug of good extra-virgin olive oil, and a small swig of good red wine vinegar. Put a nonstick pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Drop a few spoonfuls of the ricotta mix into the pan -- make sure not to overcrowd it; the pieces shouldn't be touching. (Call the family to the table if you haven't done so already!) Fry the ricotta cakes for a couple of minutes, or until golden brown, then carefully turn them over using a broad flat knife, or a fish server and fry them on the other side for a further minute. Serve at once, with a light sprinkling of sea salt, a little nutmeg, and a good handful of the chopped tomatoes on the side. Drizzle over a little peppery extra-virgin olive oil and grate over some Parmesan. Eat while crisp and warm.