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Ricotta and Pumpkin Sformatini (Dairy)
The verb “sformare” in Italian means “to turn out, to remove from the mold”. A Sformato is a kind of savory custard that is thick enough to retain its shape when turned out on a platter, thus making a crust unnecessary. Traditional Sformati are made with béchamel sauce (read: lots of butter!), but you can obtain similar results without wracking your diet if you use ricotta. As filling and creamy as a quiche, at a fraction of the calories, this is basically a savory variant of the Jewish Roman Cassola which I posted in December (I also wrote about it in The Forward) . Ricotta is not technically a cheese, but a by-product of cheese-making: that’s why whole milk ricotta is naturally very low-fat, containing only 5% fat (as opposed to 90% in cream cheese!): no need to go with the low-fat or fat-free varieties, which contain additives and taste bad. Pumpkin is also very interesting from a nutritional point of view, because it’s filling and sweet but very low in calories and sugar, and fat-free. It also contains high quantities of carotene, calcium and phosphorus. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed
- 1 pound fresh spinach (optional)
- 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano or grana cheese
- 4 tablespoons e.v. olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, if liked
- salt and pepper to taste
- oven-proof parchment; flour or breadcrumbs to dust the ramekins
- optional: 1 cup boiled or steamed rice
Directions
Serves 4-6
Cook the pumpkin until soft (the quickest way is in the microwave, covered with plastic wrap leaving just a small opening for the steam, it takes about 10 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven, covered with foil, it will take almost one hour).
If using the spinach, blanch for two minutes in boiling water (or steam it), drain it, squeeze most of the water out, and dry with paper towel.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a pan and add the garlic.
Once the garlic is brown, discard it and add the pumpkin.
Cook for about 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, allow it to cool down a little.
Place the pumpkin in the bowl of your food processor (or you can also do this by hand, in a bowl); add the ricotta (well drained of any liquid), the spinach and/or rice if using, the eggs, the parmigiano cheese, the nutmeg, and process briefly.
Line some small ramekins (or a large baking pan) with well-greased parchment paper (grease the paper well ,or they will stick.
You can also dust with some breadcrumbs or flour as an extra precaution, but the sformatini will look less pretty).
Bake in a “bain-marie” (in a lower pan filled with hot water) in a preheated 375 F oven.
When I feel lazy, I just bake them normally without the bain-marie,and they still come out great.
It takes about 20 minutes using small individual ramekins, and 30 minutes in one larger baking pan.
Turn off the oven and allow to set for about 15 minutes with the oven door open.
Turn out on a serving platter, remove the parchment, and serve hot or warm.
https://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/11/06/ricotta-and-pumpkin-sformatini-dairy/
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