Green Ricotta Flan

The green ricotta flan is a delicate and tasty dish, perfect as an appetizer or a vegetarian main course. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 500 g of fresh ricotta
• 300 g of spinach (already cleaned)
• 2 large eggs
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Nutmeg to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Butter and breadcrumbs for greasing and dusting the mold

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the spinach and blanching it in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. After that, drain and squeeze it well to remove all the excess water.

2. Take the spinach and chop it finely with a knife or a mixer.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the chopped spinach. Mix well with a wooden spoon to blend the ingredients.

4. Add the eggs to the ricotta and spinach mixture, the grated Parmesan cheese, a grating of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine all the ingredients until you have a homogeneous mixture.

5. Take a baking mold (it can be a bundt pan or a baking dish) and grease the bottom and sides with some butter, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs to prevent the flan from sticking during cooking.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared mold, leveling it well with a spatula.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30-35 minutes, or until the flan is golden and firm to the touch.

8. Let the flan cool for a few minutes before unmolding it onto a serving plate.

9. Serve the green ricotta flan preferably still warm, perhaps accompanied by a fresh tomato sauce or a light cheese fondue.

Curiosity

In Italian cuisine, the flan is a dish that lends itself to numerous variations; other types of chopped vegetables such as courgettes or carrots can be added, or enriched with spices for more aromatic versions. The secret of a good flan lies in the texture, which must be moist but not liquid, and in the cooking, which must be enough to make the dish golden but not dry.