Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit: lifeasastrawberry

Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Delicious roasted red peppers smothered with ricotta cheese that has been infused with herbs and served on a crusty sourdough bread. Yum.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 4-6
Adapted from:  lifeasastrawberry

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
2 clove garlic, chopped and divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 loaf crusty french or sourdough bread, sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

First, roast the pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until skin is wrinkled and charred. Remove pepper from the oven, place in a small bowl, and immediately cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit until it's cool enough to handle, about a half hour. Remove the stem, peel off the skin, and remove the seeds. Chop roasted pepper and set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat.
Add shallot and 1 clove chopped garlic to oil and sauté 2 minutes until shallot is translucent.
Add chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until balsamic vinegar is fragrant and mixture has softened.
Transfer red pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Set aside.
Spoon ricotta cheese into a small baking dish (I used a 4" cast iron skillet). You don't need to smooth it out unless you really want to - I like leaving it a bit uneven so that the finished dish looks more interesting!
Pour red pepper sauce over ricotta. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is heated through.
While the ricotta bakes, prepare the crostini. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave) melt butter with remaining garlic.
Lay bread slices out on a baking sheet. Brush each piece of bread with butter and garlic mixture. Bake at 400 until lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes.
Top baked ricotta with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately with crostini.