Ingredients :
For 1 baking pan about 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 inches
400 g / 2 cups ricotta cheese 2 eggs
100 ml / 7 tbsp milk
60 g / 2/3 cup freshly grated hard cheese
4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves plucked 2 tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove Olive oil
300 g / 12 oz filo pastry
450 g / 1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved 1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method : Prep and cook time: 1 hour
10 min
1
Preheat the oven to 220C (425F/ Gas
Mark 7).
2
Mix together the ricotta, eggs, milk
and hard cheese and season with salt and pepper.
3
Puree two thirds of the basil leaves
to a paste with the pine nuts, garlic and about 5 tbsp olive oil.
4
Grease a baking pan with oil and
line with several layers of filo pastry.
5
Spread the pastry base with about
two thirds of the pesto and then spread the cheese mixture on top.
6
Toss the tomatoes with the sugar and
lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
7
Arrange the tomatoes on top of the
cheese mixture, dot with the remaining pesto and drizzle with a little olive
oil.
8
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden
brown. Scatter with the remaining basil leaves 5 minutes before the end of
baking time.
9
Remove from the baking pan, cool on
a wire rack and serve either warm or cold cut into slices.