Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta

• 1 whole Large Red Bell Pepper
• 1/4 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Shallot
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped And Divided
• 1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1- 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 sticks Butter
• 1 loaf Crusty French Or Sourdough Bread, Sliced
• 1/2 cups Fresh Parsley Chopped For Garnish

1. 1.
2. First, roast the pepper.
3. Roast at 400 F for 30-40 minutes until skin is wrinkled and charred.
4. Remove pepper from the oven, place in a small bowl, and immediately cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
5. Let it sit until its cool enough to handle, about a half hour.
6. Remove the stem, peel off the skin, and remove the seeds.
7. Chop roasted pepper and set aside.
8. Leave the oven on.
9. 2.
10. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.
11. 3.
12. Add shallot and 1/2 of the chopped garlic into the oil.
13. Saute for 2 minutes until shallot is translucent.
14. 4.
15. Add chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
16. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until balsamic vinegar is fragrant and mixture has softened.
17. 5.
18. Transfer red pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
19. If mixture is too thick, add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth.
20. Taste and re-season if necessary.
21. Set aside.
22. 6.
23. Spoon ricotta cheese into a small baking dish (I used a 4 cast iron skillet).
24. You dont need to smooth it out unless you really want to.
25. I like leaving it a bit uneven so that the finished dish looks more interesting!
26. 7.
27. Pour red pepper sauce over the ricotta.
28. Bake at 400 F for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is heated through.
29. 8.
30. While the ricotta bakes, prepare the crostini.
31. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave) melt butter with remaining garlic.
32. 9.
33. Lay bread slices out on a baking sheet.
34. Brush each piece of bread with butter and garlic mixture.
35. Bake at 400 F until lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes.
36. 10.
37. Top baked ricotta with fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
38. Serve immediately with crostini.

red bell pepper, olive oil, shallot, garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, ricotta cheese, butter, crusty, parsley

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/roasted-red-pepper-baked-ricotta/ (may not work)