Spinach with Baked Ricotta Cubes - A North Indian Preparation

Ingredients:

500 grams low fat ricotta – cut into one-inch cubes and baked

1 kilo frozen spinach

3 cloves of garlic – minced

½ cup of boiling water

1 heaped tsp cumin powder (roasted and then powdered)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ghee

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion – finely diced

3-inch piece ginger – grated or minced

1 to 2 green chilies - minced

Method:

Place the garlic in the center of a large 12-inch Pyrex dish and top up with the frozen spinach.

Microwave on high for 11 minutes. Stir and microwave for another 10 minutes. This will ensure that the spinach and garlic are cooked.

Add the ghee and oil to a fry pan. Once the ghee has melted and is fragrant add the onion. Lightly brown on medium heat. Add the ginger and green chilies. Cook for a further 5 minutes and set aside.

To a deep pan, add the microwaved spinach and garlic mixture along with half a cup of hot water. Using a stick blender, reduce to a smooth paste. Add the cumin powder, salt and the fried onion mixture.

Cook this on a very slow heat for 3 minutes. Be careful as it will bubble and spit out of the pan. You will need to stir it frequently. Remove from the heat and add the cubed ricotta. Sir and leave to cool. This will ensure that the flavours start to permeate the ricotta.

Ideally, you should allow it to rest for a few hours or overnight before reheating and serving.

Serve with roti and dhal.

Serves 6 to 8.

Tips:

• This dish will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, which means that once I have cooked this my lunches are taken care of for a few days. It goes beautifully with the red lentil dhal – see my recipe.

• I always store fried onions, baked ricotta cubes, cubes of fresh minced ginger and garlic in my freezer. Cooking this dish is a breeze…