whipped lemon ricotta toast with spring greens
aka how to *really* eat like a farmer right now
It’s been a “toast for dinner” kind of week around here. You know what I mean? Just one of those weeks when every. single. second. of the day is scheduled, you’ve got big deadlines looming, and by the end of the day, all you can muster for dinner is a hunk of toasted bread with some random ingredients stacked on top. (Though today, I’m sharing a recipe for a very luxurious, very seasonal, not at all random toast situation, so keep reading for that...)
The next few days are going to be FULL – tomorrow I’m leading a Home Gardening 101 workshop here at the farm, and Tuesday kicks off Week 1 of our Spring CSA. Before having two kids, it would’ve been a breeze for me to pull off these events without breaking a sweat. But now that we’ve got a rambunctious toddler and a sweet little baby, it suddenly feels like there are literally (and I mean literally) not enough hours in the day to accomplish all the things that I could’ve done in my sleep in my pre-parenthood life.
(Speaking of sleep… every night this week, I’ve had one of those awful dreams where you show up to a college class and realize you’ve been MIA all semester, and your teacher hands you the final exam, and you’re absolutely, royally, terrifyingly f*cked. Clearly my subconscious is feeling the stress of not being fully prepared for all the things coming up these next few days… but I know I’ll get it done, one way or another ((at least that’s what I’m telling myself)).
I’m not sharing all of this to sound ungrateful or to complain – I adore our babies more than anything, I’m wildly grateful for this life we’ve built, and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing – I’m just realizing that I need to seriously recalibrate what I can *actually* accomplish on a given day / week. (And I probably need to be better about asking for help… but one thing at a time, okay?)
In other news… in case you missed it, earlier this week I shared something I’ve been working on for a LONG time – my Spring Vegetable Garden Guide!
This guide is basically a download of ALL the gardening knowledge that’s stored in my brain after 15+ years of growing vegetables, and it’s jam-packed with practical, crop-specific information. I’ll be releasing a new garden guide for every growing season, so this is the SPRING edition. I hope you find the guide helpful, and encourage you to share it with any fellow gardeners in your life. :)
PS – For the first time ever, I’m offering a discount for anyone who’d like to join this community as a paid subscriber – upgrade to paid today and get 20% off for a year! As a paid subscriber, you get access to my (ever-growing) recipe index, all the gardening guides (like this spring guide that I just released), plus get bonus monthly educational content and access to our private community chats.
Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and from my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:
Spring Quinoa Tabbouleh by yours truly :)
Asparagus Gribiche Crostini by
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Keep reading for today’s recipe for Whipped Lemon Ricotta Toast with Sautéed Spring Greens.
This week’s recipe is a glimpse at what it *really* looks like to eat like a farmer amid the frantic pace of SPRING.
It’s that thrilling (and overwhelming) time of year when the first greens are finally ready to be harvested, but (at least in my experience) most farmers are too exhausted to cook anything complicated… so a slab of toasted sourdough topped with some delishhh whipped ricotta cheese and wilted greens (most likely eaten while still standing up in the kitchen) really hits the spot.
Even if you aren’t a farmer, I have a feeling this time of year is jam-packed for pretty much everyone, and sometimes we all need to eat toast for dinner.
But if we’re going to eat toast, then let’s make it the *best damn toast* ever, yes?
A few recipe notes + substitutions:
This recipe calls for a luscious whipped ricotta situation, which is made by combining a few ingredients (full-fat ricotta, salt, lemon, olive oil) in a food processor and whizzing everything up till it’s suuuper smooth and creamy. That said, if you don’t have the time/energy to deal with a food processor, don’t worry about it! You can just whip everything together by hand in a bowl (it won’t be quite as creamy, but it will still be delicious). Also – you’ll likely have some leftover whipped ricotta, but I promise you won’t be mad about it. ;)
This is a very flexible recipe when it comes to the kind of greens you use… my personal favorite is swiss chard, but kale or spinach would also be fabulous.
When it comes to toasting your bread, don’t make it complicated... just use a toaster!
Keep reading for the full recipe (and a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing).
Because there’s a 5th Friday in March, I’ve decided that *everyone* gets access to today’s recipe. If you enjoy this recipe, and you’d like to get access to a new hyper-seasonal recipe EVERY week, consider joining as a paid subscriber. You’ll also get access to my full recipe archive, gardening guides, plus bonus content and join our private community chats.
PS – a reminder that I’m offering a first time ever spring subscriber discount! Sign up as a paid subscriber by April 1st and get 20% off for a year.
Whipped Lemon Ricotta Toast with Sautéed Spring Greens
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the whipped ricotta
1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
For the sautéed spring greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bunch spring greens (such as swiss chard, kale, OR spinach), leaves thinly chopped (about 8 cups chopped leaves)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 thick slices of good bread (like sourdough or a country loaf), toasted
¼ cup toasted pine nuts (or any other nuts/seeds)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the whipped ricotta – Blend 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, until the ricotta is super smooth and creamy. Taste (!) and adjust as needed with additional salt or lemon juice (I like it really lemony, so I usually add another tablespoon of lemon juice). NOTE: If you don’t feel like getting out your food processor, you can also just stir together all the ingredients in a bowl – it won’t be quite as smooth/creamy, but it will still taste delicious!
Prepare the greens – in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced yellow onion and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and cook until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes. Stir in 2 cloves minced garlic, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Next, add 1 bunch finely chopped greens (about 8 cups greens) with 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, using tongs to toss the greens in the skillet. Cook until the greens are wilted and tender – around 3-5 minutes. Taste (!) and adjust seasoning as needed, I usually add a bit more kosher salt.
Toast the bread and assemble – toast 4 thick slices of bread in a toaster (or other preferred toasting method). Slather a generous amount of the whipped ricotta onto each slice of toast, then top with the sautéed greens. Serve warm garnished with toasted pine nuts, flakey sea salt, and some extra lemon zest.
That’s all for this week! If you enjoyed, it would mean the world if you tapped that “heart” button below, share this with a friend, subscribe, or leave a comment. Thank you so much, I’m thrilled you’re here. :)
Yumm!! 💕
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