Cooking with Love

with Gianna Conte    (Jan)

Pasta ricotta cace di pepe and bacon

Pasta ricotta cace di pepe and bacon

Sunday is usually a red sauce day....

 Didn't feel up to cooking today. Had a few ingredients in the fridge. Wanted to keep it light!

Ingredients:

1 lb box of your favorite pasta (not spaghetti)*

Salt for pasta water

1 15oz container of Whole milk ricotta

1/2 cup grated Locatelli cheese

2 TBS butter

Lots of course black pepper

Cooked bacon bits (optional)

1/2 cup pasta water

Directions:

Boil pasta. While it's boiling, in large bowl place ricotta, butter, grated cheese, black pepper. With slotted spoon, carefully lift cooked pasta drenching wet into the bowl along with the ricotta mixture.

You don't have to use a colander. But if you prefer to, add the pasta dripping wet into the bowl.

Toss very well, making sure the pasta is covered with ricotta.

Pass the cheese, please

Optional: cut up cooked bacon and mix it into the pasta.



Let's get baking!


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


 1 whole thin skinned orange, remove the stem and cut in quarters. Keep the skin on the oranges.

In a clean large food processor, add the orange quarters, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of orange extract, 1 tbsp of Triple Sec liqueur, optional, 2/3 cup vegetable oil. 


Pulse all ingredients in the processor and then puree until mixture becomes a batter with specs of orange peel.


Add to the processor:


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt


Process all dry ingredients until they are entirely incorporated into the batter.


Bake in a greased and floured spring pan, using a parchment paper circle on top of the greased bottom.*


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in the center rack of the oven.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.


Remove from your oven and let it cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar or make a drizzle of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange until thick and smooth.  Pour onto the cooled fresh orange cake.


*if you don't have a large processor, you can use a blender.


Enjoy with some espresso and close your eyes and it will feel like you're in Sicily.