Name: 10 William Street: House-made ricotta with baby vegetables
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways on a mandolin; 660 ml mild extra-virgin olive oil; 125 ml (½ cup) white wine vinegar; 1 eggplant, peeled in stripes, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp oregano; 6 baby beetroot, trimmed; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 bunches Dutch carrots, scrubbed and trimmed; 20 heirloom cherry tomatoes; ½ long red chilli, thinly sliced; 5 basil leaves, coarsely chopped; To serve: baby basil; Ricotta; 2 litres (8 cups) milk; 250 gm plain yoghurt; Juice of 1 large lemon

“This reminds us of going to the local caseficio (cheesemaker) every Saturday morning to pick up fresh warm ricotta. With the ‘fatty’ bio fiano from Ocone, it’s a real blast.” Giovanni Paradiso, 10 William Street

Ingredients

1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways on a mandolin

660 ml mild extra-virgin olive oil

125 ml (½ cup) white wine vinegar

1 eggplant, peeled in stripes, thinly sliced

1 tbsp oregano

6 baby beetroot, trimmed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bunches Dutch carrots, scrubbed and trimmed

20 heirloom cherry tomatoes

½ long red chilli, thinly sliced

5 basil leaves, coarsely chopped

To serve: baby basil

Ricotta

2 litres (8 cups) milk

250 gm plain yoghurt

Juice of 1 large lemon

Method

Main

1.For ricotta, heat milk in a large saucepan to 90C on a thermometer. Whisk through yoghurt, lemon juice and 2 tsp sea salt. Remove from heat, set aside until curds form (15-20 minutes). Strain curds through a large sieve lined with muslin, then set aside until firm (2-3 hours).

2.Meanwhile, place beetroot and garlic in a deep baking dish, cover with water and set aside to infuse (2 hours). Preheat oven to 180C. Cover beetroot with foil and roast until tender (50 minutes-1 hour). Drain, then, when cool enough to handle, peel, halve, place in a small bowl and cover with 250ml oil.

3.Meanwhile, simmer vinegar and 1 litre water in a saucepan over medium heat, add eggplant and simmer until tender (5-10 minutes). Drain well, cool, then cut into quarters. Place in a bowl with oregano, cover with 125ml oil and set aside to marinate (1 hour).

4.Meanwhile, heat 60ml oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tomato and cook until starting to soften (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl with chilli and basil, cover with 60ml olive oil, set aside to marinate (1 hour).

5.Meanwhile, preheat a char-grill pan over high heat, drizzle zucchini with 2 tbsp olive oil, season to taste and char-grill, turning once, until golden (1-2 minutes). Place in a bowl with remaining 60ml oil and set aside.

6.Blanch carrots until tender (2-3 minutes), refresh, drain and set aside.

7.To serve, remove vegetables from oil with a slotted spoon, season to taste, arrange on plates and top with ricotta and baby basil.