When entertaining I’ve served countless cheese and charcuterie boards, but, lately, after noticing that many of our friends, though not vegetarians, were limiting their meat intake, I’ve been offering vegetable boards (or platters) as appetizers. Since summer brings an array of vegetables to our markets here in New England, it’s easy to prepare a spread of openers featuring seasonal produce. Whipped Ricotta with Toasted Ciabatta, Sugar Snaps, Scallions, and Cherry Tomatoes is one such creation that has become a favorite.

Whipped ricotta takes only a minute to produce. For the following recipe, you spoon the cheese into the bowl of a food processor, add finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, salt, and cayenne and then process the mixture for one minute until smooth and creamy. The resulting mélange is enhanced with chopped fresh basil and some crushed pistachios for garnish.  

As sides for this ricotta dip, I brushed ciabatta slices with olive oil and quickly toasted them in the oven until golden and crisp. Sugar snap peas were blanched in less than 5 minutes and then refreshed under cold running water and patted dry. Cherry tomatoes along with some trimmed scallions completed the offerings. But you can easily vary the vegetables— haricots verts, thinly sliced, uncooked fennel, small Belgian endive leaves, sliced cucumbers, boiled baby red skin or golden potatoes would pair well with the whipped ricotta. As my cooking school colleagues always say: “Make this recipe your own!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Whipped Ricotta with Toasted Ciabatta, Sugar Snaps, Scallions, and Cherry Tomatoes

Whipped Ricotta
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/ 4 tsp kosher salt
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
4 tsp chopped basil plus 1 tsp extra for garnish
1 1/2 tsp pistachio nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped for garnish

Vegetables and Ciabatta Slices
12 ciabatta slices cut about 3/8-inch thick from a small ciabatta loaf (See market tip.)
Olive oil for brushing on ciabatta slices
4 to 5 oz sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
1 generous cup cherry tomatoes, halved
6 or more slim green onions, ends trimmed and all but 2 inches of green stems trimmed
Sea salt such as fleur de sel

1,For the Whipped Ricotta, add ricotta, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, kosher salt and cayenne to a food processor. Process the mixture for 1 minute until it is smooth and creamy.

2.Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in 4 teaspoons of the chopped basil. Mound whipped ricotta in a 1-cup or slightly larger serving bowl. (Whipped ricotta can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

3.For the toasted ciabatta slices, arrange a rack in the center and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place ciabatta slices on a rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Bake slices 5 minutes and then turn and bake 4 to 5 minutes or more until just crisp. Watch carefully. Remove and set aside. (Bread can be toasted an hour ahead; leave at room temperature.)

4.Add the sugar snap peas and 1 teaspoon salt to a medium saucepan filled 2/3 full of boiling water. Cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well and run under cold water to cool the peas. Pat dry and set aside. (Sugar Snaps can be cooked 2 hours ahead; leave at room temperature.)

5.To  serve, sprinkle the ricotta with remaining basil and with chopped pistachios and arrange on a serving plate or board. Surround with toasted ciabatta slices, a mound of sugar snap peas, and another of cherry tomatoes. Add the green onions. Sprinkle the peas, tomatoes, and green onions with sea salt. To eat, spread a ciabatta slice with whipped ricotta, and top with a snow pea and/or a cherry tomato half. Enjoy the green onions by simply dipping them into the whipped ricotta.

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Market note: The ciabatta demi-baguette from Trader Joe’s worked well in this recipe.

Cooking tip for variations:  If you use small Belgian endive leaves, shaved fennel, cucumber slices, or boiled and halved baby potatoes, just spread each of these with some of the dip. If using  blanched haricots verts, halve them and set one or two atop a ciabatta slice spread with the dip. I love the toasted ciabatta slices, but if you want to make this a gluten-free appetizer, you can omit the bread.

Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2025