marinated olive whipped ricotta

an easy 'n delicious appetizer delight

One thing imma do is serve some olives or find them when I’m out. At home I stay stocked at all times, because no little nibble comes together quite like a marinated olive. They’re so easy, anything goes, everyone picks at them, and you simply can’t go wrong. Unless you are someone that hates olives, then we have separate issues.

But if you want to switch up the way you are serving your olives this season, this is the perfect perfect way! It’s a one pan rendezvous and takes no more than 20 minutes?! Grab a crusty baguette on your way out and you’re good to go.

I initially developed this recipe for the release of Mezzetta’s new sliced castelevtrano olives and they made this recipe easier than it already was lol. I always tear my olives in half vs slicing and these are exactly that, so I actually feel like they should’ve renamed them to torn not sliced but I digress.

Anyway, this post/mention is in no way sponsored - I purchase my own olives from their brand every time I’m at the grocery store (also their sliced pepperoncinis are the best - I’m very particular about the thinness and crunch of them and theirs are actually perfect) so just figured I would give you a tip on making this recipe even easier when shopping for the ingredients.

The olive crunch can be made ahead of time as can the whipped ricotta. This is also very easily customizable. Whip up more ricotta for a larger crowd, don’t like pistachios? Substitute with walnuts or lose them all together. Add more orange if you’re a citrusy girl like me. Like it extra spice? Double the chili.

marinated olive whipped ricotta:

• 1 cup cold ricotta (don’t love the tj’s brand, it’s very loose - belgioso is always ol reliable but feel free to get a fresh nice one from an italian grocer too)

• 4 oz castelvetrano olives, torn in half

• 1/2 cup good quality olive oil 

  • 1 tsp olive oil (for the whipped ricotta)

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced in rings

• 2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 1/4 orange zested, plus 2 orange twists 

• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed from the stem and chopped in half 

• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves removed 

• salt to taste 

• honey (hot or not) to drizzle 

• 1-2 tbsp crushed pistachios to garnish 

1. Add olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallots, frying until just golden, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to drain. Next, add the garlic to the oil and fry until just golden, about 1 minute, remove and drain on the paper towel. Keep an eye on these as they’ll continue to darken as they cool - you just want a nice light golden brown before removing them from the oil. 

2. Once done frying, remove the pan of oil from the heat and add the chili flakes and herbs. Let the oil cool for 2-3 minutes and become infused with the aromatics. Now, add the olives, orange zest/twists, a pinch of salt and the fried shallot and garlic.

3. Set aside to sit and ~marinate~ while you prepare the ricotta

4. Add cold ricotta to a food processor and just let it blend until fully smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Pause to scrape the sides every now and then. Add a pinch of salt + olive oil towards the end and blitz until smooth. You can store this in the fridge covered overnight if you want to prep ahead! 

5. To assemble: spread the ricotta in a shallow bowl/plate. I would advise against a flat plate because things get messy as the olive oil drips off the sides. Top the ricotta with some spoonfuls of the olive mixture and oil. Drizzle with honey and the crushed pistachios. Serve with crusty baguette or crackers and mwahhhh enjoy

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xoxo katie