The Bite (Issue 94): Dips for dinner!

Ricotta, two ways [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZGp3aDB1Nmp2ai8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3VwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) As is often the case when it comes to summer cooking, one of the best meals I’ve made this season was born from a desire to not have to leave the side of my small, but mighty AC unit to schlep groceries in 90-plus degree heat. I did the thing where you pop your head in the refrigerator and just kind of rearrange the contents for a few minutes until the spirit moves you to actually start extracting items. My final selection included: A tub of [whole-fat ricotta](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMWh1OTZ2NXpoYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3JmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~); a bag of mixed citrus; a small jar of[sun-dried tomatoes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbTQyeWo5bHRibi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3JmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~); shallots; a pathetic handful of chopped pine nuts; and a wilting head of Italian parsley. Honestly, if I’d had pasta on-hand, the question of what’s for dinner with those ingredients would have answered itself, but alas, I had raided the pantry of my final box of angel hair just days before (to make I[na Garten’s famous summer pasta](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZXZhbnU2NW5lOS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3JmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~)with no-cook sauce — so, worth it.) What I had instead, though, was a fresh batch of yeasty flatbread from the bakery down the street and the idea of using that, slightly warmed, to scoop some doctored-up ricotta sounded excellent. In the words of [OMITB’s Oliver Putnam](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbjdpMW42d3Aybi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3JmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~), “dips for dinner” it is.  I combined the sun-dried tomatoes, some red pepper flakes, sea salt, a few slivers of shallot and the pine nuts with a few glugs of olive oil and blitzed the mixture in the blender until it resembled a chunky pasta sauce, then set it aside to let the flavors mingle. In the meantime, I typed “quick orange marmalade stovetop no gelatin??” into the Google search bar and eight minutes later I had a not-too-sugary version ready to chill in my refrigerator. When it was time for dinner, I warmed the flatbread until it became pillowy and a little pliable (the only real reason to turn on my oven in the summer) and tore it into bite-sized pieces. On each plate, I spooned out two generous heaps of ricotta. I covered the first with the sun-dried tomato sauce, garnished with parsley and a little balsamic vinegar; the second was mixed with a spoonful of orange marmalade, a little sea salt and zested lemon. There were no real measurements. One of the more magical things about these kinds of late summer dinners is the way they come together much more effortlessly when you care just a little less. I’m sure there’s a life lesson there to carry into the cooler months, but at that moment, I just relished the feeling of warmed bread in my hand — and air conditioning on my face. — Ashlie D. Stevens, food editor. Help keep Salon independent — [become a member today](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmzfgPP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOTExMTJsdnRhZi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0NTA5JmxoX2NpZD0wZDZidjM3c3M3JmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCmTnE3PrZMA5ZH5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) and unlock more benefits! 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