Keeping Company’s Fresh Family Recipes

This issue of Madeworthy is all about local business. It’s fitting that the recipes for Fresh Family Recipes come from a restauranteur who has made Fort Worth his home and a restaurant that created a safe and compassionate setting for individuals with intellectual differences to gain real work experience.

Felipe Armenta owns seven restaurants/concepts in Fort Worth, with additional restaurants in San Angelo and Midland. Beneventi’s Italian Restaurant, located about an hour from Fort Worth in Mingus, works with the Mingus Job Accelerator to offer adults with intellectual differences on-the-job training in foodservice.

Whipped Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes
Beneventi’s Italian Restaurant

Not only does Beneventi’s Italian Restaurant make delicious Italian dishes, but they are also making a difference for people with intellectual differences, and that’s worth the drive to Mingus!

“This luxurious whipped ricotta is so decadent, but so easy to make. Roasting cherry or grape tomatoes ‘til they’re jammy makes them sweet and bursting with flavor.  The tomatoes’ sweet-tart acidity is the perfect counterpart to the silky whipped ricotta cheese. At Beneventi’s Italian, we serve both alongside some crispy crostini to create the perfect first course, or a fab accompaniment to your favorite glass of wine!”

Ingredients

1 15-ounce container of whole-milk ricotta cheese [Editor’s note: You can make this with part-skim ricotta if you must, but it’s really best with the whole-milk version. Whatever you do, DO NOT use the fat free stuff. Take my word for it.]
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 teaspoons dried Italian season herb blend, divided use
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, minced or grate on a rasp-style grater [Editor’s note: You can use more if your family is like mine and LOVES garlic.]
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Baguette, ciabatta, or other good quality bread sliced into ½ inch thick slices

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°.

In a small casserole dish or on a small, rimmed baking sheet, toss the whole tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil, as well as the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Roasted in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just beginning to burst. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle evenly with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the slices with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and a little salt. Toast in the oven until the bread is golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

While the bread is toasting, combine the ricotta cheese, heavy cream, and remaining 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer. [Editor’s note: You can use a whisk to whip this by hand, but a mixer is so much easier.] Whisk the mixture together until it’s light and fluffy. It should be smooth and luxurious.

Place the whipped ricotta in a large, shallow bowl and garnish with the roasted tomatoes. Drizzle the ricotta with a little more extra-virgin olive oil and serve with the toasted bread and some wine. Serves 4. Buon appetito!

Pacific Dip
Pacific Table

Felipe Armenta has been delighting Fort Worth diners with his myriad of restaurants, including The Tavern, Press Café, Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, and the new(ish) Le Margot. Perennial favorite Pacific Table serves Armenta’s take on Pacific Northwest seafood, and the Pacific Dip is a fan favorite.

[Editor’s note: This is a pared-down version of the restaurant’s recipe that is made for the home cook.]

Ingredients

2 filets smoked trout, available at Central Market or other specialty grocery stores
1 8-ounce block cream cheese [Editor’s note: You can use Neufchatel cheese if you must, but this is best with the full-fat stuff.]
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup sour cream [Editor’s note: Like the cream cheese, the full-fat stuff is the best.]
1/3 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1 to 2 teaspoons horseradish [Editor’s note: The hotter, the better!]
A couple of good shakes of Tabasco or other Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 to 2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium-boiled egg

Directions

Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, and Tabasco to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until everything is smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Dice the egg. (To medium boil an egg, place the egg in a small pot of cold water over high heat. Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, turn off the heat and let the egg cook for 8 to 9 minutes. Drain the egg and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Allow to sit in the ice bath for a couple of minutes before peeling and dicing the egg.)

Remove the skin from the trout filets and dice into ½-inch squares.

In a large bowl, gently fold the green onions, egg, and trout into the cream cheese mixture. Don’t overmix. You want lovely pieces of trout surrounded by the smooth cheese mixture.

Serve with crostini, bread sticks, crackers, vegetables, or just a large spoon. Makes enough for 6 to 8 as an appetizer.