Fresh Ricotta with Roasted Parsnips and Apple

It's finally Friday!

I'm going to Nashville today with my BFF.

Last year on this same trip we were in a hail storm for about 45 minutes slash what felt like 10 hours. 

Fingers crossed for us that the same doesn't happen today, mmkay?

Thanks. 

So, yesterday, you know, we talked about the merits of making one's own ricotta.  See how I did that here!  

Ohhhhhh was it good. 

I put it on toast.  I told you that.  But I also made this appetizer.  It was inspired by a recent outing I took to this place called The Owl with our friends Wes and Sangeeta.  We love them.  At dinner that night, I had a dish with ricotta, roasted veggies, pears, and parsley puree.  Maybe other things too....I also drank whiskey with dinner.  Whatever.  ANYWAY, it was good.  And THEN my Food Network mag came with a recipe for DIY ricotta and I just HAD to replicate the dish at home.

Had to. Mine is slightly different because, duh, I used things I had in my fridge, but it was still REALLY good.  The fresh ricotta is so wonderful, but you could of course use any ricotta you can find in the store.  Let's get to work on the veggies! Preheat the oven to 425F.  I used 1 apple, 3 parsnips, and 1/2 onion.

 Cut the veggies into small chunks, and fruit into larger pieces.  You could use anything you like!  I love the sweet/savory combo here, but you could use potato, mushrooms, carrot, pear, shallot....anything you like that roasts well!

Arrange the vegetables (not the apple quite yet) in a roasting pan, dish, or on a baking sheet.  Drizzle them with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then shake the pan to coat everything evenly.  

Roast the veggies for 10 minutes until they're about halfway cooked.  Then add the apple to the pan!  I wanted the veggies to be super soft and kind of brown at the edges, but I wanted the apple to still have some crunch.  So, I cooked the apple for less time.  Duh.  Sorry I explained that to you. 

Roast the fruit and veggies for 10 more minutes until the parsnips are very tender and the apple is just starting to cook. 

Now.....that's kind of it.  Sorry.  I layered arugula, ricotta, the roasted veggies, and bread on a plate and called it dinner.  

It was delicious!  Super fresh and light but still decadent because of the sexy homemade ricotta.

You could easily arrange this kind of in a circular fashion with the ricotta in the center for a party - don't you think?  I definitely do. 

This is really special guys - make it soon!  If you aren't feeling ricotta, why not use another soft cheese?  Goat, brie.....omg I'm dying.  Do this today.  Happy weekend!

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   This is so yummy that I included it in this week’s Weekend Potluck.  It’s this cute thing where blogs from EVERYWHERE can submit recipes to share with others – it’s so fun to check out new things!