Name: Spinach and ricotta sformato
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 kg English or baby spinach leaves; 200 gm full-fat ricotta; 200 ml double cream; 4 eggs, lightly whisked; 150 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve; 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 150 gm toasted sourdough breadcrumbs; Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

“In Florence, you will often see sformato as a side dish on menus,” says Julia Busuttil Nishimura. “The ones I enjoy the most are those which are loosely set and scooped onto your plate rather than firm and set in a mould. It is perfect as a complete meal served with crusty bread.”

Ingredients

1 kg English or baby spinach leaves

200 gm full-fat ricotta

200 ml double cream

4 eggs, lightly whisked

150 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

150 gm toasted sourdough breadcrumbs

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C, fan-forced. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Blanch spinach until tender (1-2 minutes), drain; run under cold running water to refresh. Squeeze out excess liquid, then coarsely chop. Combine ricotta, cream, eggs, half the parmesan and nutmeg in a large bowl; season to taste. Add spinach and stir to combine.

Lightly grease a 1.5-litre (6 cup) ovenproof baking dish with olive oil, add half the breadcrumbs, shaking dish to coat the base and sides evenly. Spoon the spinach mixture into prepared dish and smooth top with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, scatter with remaining breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan. Bake until golden and just set (20-25 minutes).

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Photography by James Moffatt Photographer

Ingredients

Method

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