This ricotta and spinach cheesecake is our savory take on the all-Amereican dessert. It has the same concept as a sweet cheesecake, namely a crunchy base with a cheese filling and seasonal produce, but in this case, the produce comprises a vegetable.
The cheesecake base
For the crust, you can opt for taralli; saltines or crackers from a whole-wheat, legume, or rice flour; or toasted or crumbled stale bread. Mix your base with melted butter and then reduce the mixture to a fine, smooth consistency either by hand or with a food processer.
The Recipe: Spinach Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 lb. boiled spinach (squeezed to remove excess liquid)
7 oz. cream cheese
3 oz. Emmental
5 oz. cow's milk ricotta
4 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
4 oz. salted crackers
2 large eggs
2 oz. butter
salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Chop the boiled, squeezed spinach. Transfer it to a bowl, adding ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs, a pinch of salt, the cream cheese, and half the Emmental. Mix well and set aside.
Melt the butter in a bain-marie. In the meantime, break up the crackers by placing them in a paper bag and gently pounding them. Pour the crackers into a bowl and knead them with the melted butter.
Spread the crackers and butter mixture on the bottom of a round baking pan, leveling it with a spatula. Pour the ricotta and spinach mixture on top, finishing the assembly with the remaining Emmental, and bake for around 25 minutes. Once baked, let cool before serving. Like many other savory pies, it tastes even better the next day.
Scroll through the above tutorial for some savory cheesecake tips.