Baskets with Ricotta and Mortadella, a quick and tasty appetizer to prepare for all our special occasions. The baskets are made with sandwich bread, or sandwich loaf, briefly baked to toast them and give a permanent shape. Once they are ready, the sandwich baskets can be filled. I chose to fill them with diced mortadella quickly grilled in a pan and a delicious buffalo ricotta cream enriched with Bronte pistachios, and a little honey. The final result of the baskets with ricotta cream and grilled mortadella with honey and pistachios is truly delicious, I recommend them as Christmas appetizers, they are too good. You can find this recipe in the Christmas sandwich appetizers collection.
Here other tasty appetizers for the holidays.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Ricotta and Mortadella Baskets
- 7 oz buffalo ricotta
- 2 oz Bronte DOP pistachios
- to taste wildflower honey
- 5 slices sandwich bread
- 3.5 oz mortadella with pistachios, in piece
- to taste olive oil
Tools to Prepare Baskets with Ricotta and Mortadella
- 1 Cookie cutter
- 1 Muffin tray
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Bowl
Steps to Prepare Baskets with Ricotta, Honey, and Pistachio
1. Use a flower-shaped cookie cutter to cut the sandwich bread into 10 flowers. If you don’t have the specific cookie cutter, you can use a simple 4-inch round cutter or a bowl of that size.
2. Grease 10 muffin molds with olive oil, using a kitchen brush.
3. Place each flower in a muffin mold, press with your fingers or with the appropriate tool provided with the mold to position them. Grease the edges again with olive oil, using the brush.
4. Put in a preheated convection oven at 390°F for about 1 minute, until the baskets in the mold are golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool a moment before removing the bread baskets from the mold.
5. In a bowl, work the buffalo ricotta with a fork to make it creamy. Add chopped pistachios and a little honey and mix. Transfer to a piping bag.
6. Cut the mortadella into small cubes, put it in a pan and grill quickly without adding anything. Stir to brown it on all sides, it will only take a moment.
7. Assemble the baskets, placing mortadella cubes at the base, then add some ricotta cream. Don’t overdo it, otherwise, it won’t be enough for all 10 baskets, unless you use a bit more. Decorate with pieces of mortadella and finally with chopped pistachios. Lastly, add a little honey on top to nicely glaze the mortadella. Ready to serve.
The baskets with ricotta and mortadella can be prepared a little in advance and kept in the fridge. If you don’t like the sweetness of honey, don’t add it, but it pairs perfectly and adds a chic touch.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can the baskets be prepared the day before?
Of course, you can prepare the baskets and the cream, and at the last moment, assemble the baskets. It will take 5 minutes to bring this tasty appetizer to the table.
