Ricotta Festival 2026: Mel Lionello's Whipped Ricotta Dip

You can find more recipes just like this in Mel's soon to be released book, Easy Italian Dinners From My Little Kitchen!

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Ingredients for Whipped Ricotta base dip:‍

1kg That’s Amore Ricotta

50mL extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of sea salt flakes

¼ tsp cracked black pepper

Ingredients for fig, pancetta and balsamic:

Thin flatbread like ‘pane carasau’, ‘tortas’ or baked pita bread

8-10 slices of pancetta, very thin

3-4 figs, quartered

3 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed

Balsamic glaze to drizzle

Ingredients for roasted grapes, hot honey and rosemary:

30mL extra virgin olive oil

400g seedless black grapes

½ sea salt flakes

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed

40mL hot honey

Seeded crackers

Ingredients for heirloom tomato, basil and lemon:‍

Sliced ciabatta

40g parmigiano reggiano or similar, microplaned

Zest of one lemon

Small pinch of sea salt flakes

1-2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Aleppo pepper flakes or Urfa pepper flakes or chilli flakes, to taste

Basil leaves

Method for base dip:

Place ricotta, evoo, salt and pepper into a food processor. Blend onmedium-high for 6-7 minutes, until completed smooth and airy. Divide into threebowls.

For fig, pancetta and balsamic:

Break flatbread into pieces and top with a spoonful of whipped ricotta.Then place a piece of pancetta on top with a piece of fig and a few thymeleaves. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.

For roasted grapes, hot honey and rosemary:

Preheat oven to 180c. Place olive oil, grapes, sea salt flakes androsemary leaves into ceramic baking dish. Roast for 10-15 minutes until thegrapes have broken down and softened. Remove from oven and carefully stir thegrapes to combine the juices. Set aside. 

In the whipped ricotta bowl, add hot honey and an additional pinch ofsalt and combine well. 

Once the grapes are cooled to warm, top seeded crackers with a spoonfulof whipped ricotta, making a little indent in the middle for the grapes. Add asmall spoonful of roasted grapes and serve.

Please note: you can cook the grapes in a frypan instead of in the ovenif you prefer.

For heirloom tomato, basil and lemon:

Add parmesan, lemon zest and sea salt flakes to the whipped ricotta.Combine well. Set aside. Place slices of tomato onto slices of ciabatta, andtop with a spoonful of whipped ricotta. Sprinkle over pepper/chilli and topwith fresh basil leaves.