Blood Orange & Whipped Ricotta Dip with Ciabatta Toasts Recipe

Ingredients

½ loaf of ciabatta
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ red onion
1 lime
250g ricotta
A handful of thyme
1 blood orange

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 20 mins

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Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Slice half the ciabatta loaf into slices approximately 1cm thick. Place the ciabatta pieces on a baking tray and drizzle over a little olive oil. Turn the ciabatta slices to lightly coat both sides in the oil. Slide into the oven and bake for 20 mins, till golden brown and crisp. Turn the slices halfway through baking to ensure they brown evenly.

2. Meanwhile, tip the coriander seeds into a dry frying pan. Toast over a medium heat, shaking the pan, for 2 mins or till aromatic and starting to pop. Tip into a small bowl.

3. Peel and thinly slice half the red onion. Add it to the coriander seeds. Squeeze in the juice from the lime and add a pinch of salt. Scrunch together with your hands for 1 min then set aside to pickle.

4. To make the dip, scoop the ricotta into a food processor. Pick the thyme leaves off 4-5 sprigs and add them to the processor. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz on a high speed till creamy and smooth, around 1-2 mins. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. No processor? You can scoop all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and use electric beaters to beat them together. Or use a hand whisk and beat together for 4-5 mins till smooth.

5. Slice the skin and pith off the orange. Using a small, sharp knife, slice the juicy orange segments out of the papery membranes. Finely chop them.

6. Scoop the whipped ricotta into a serving bowl. Top with the pickled red onions and the chopped blood orange. Drizzle over a little extra olive oil. Pick the thyme leaves off 1-2 sprigs and scatter them over the top. Serve with the toasted ciabatta bread for dipping.

7. Get Ahead
You can make the ciabatta toasts up to 2 days ahead and store them in an airtight tin. You can whip the ricotta up to a day ahead and store it in a sealed tub in the fridge. Segment the orange and store the segments in a separate tub in the fridge. The dip is best eaten as soon as it's assembled.