Mezze Maniche with Ricotta, Lemon and Pepper – (4 servings)

🧾 General Information

• Category: First course
• Servings: 4
• Target food cost: 20–28%
• Service time: 3 minutes
• Difficulty: Low (requires technical control)

⚖️ Portion Quantities

• Dry pasta: 100 g
• Ricotta: 120 g
• Parmesan: 12–13 g
• Extra virgin olive oil: 12 ml
• Lemon juice: 7–8 ml
• Lemon zest: to taste
• Black pepper: to taste

🧾 Total Ingredients (4 servings)

• 400 g mezze maniche pasta
• 480 g cow’s milk ricotta (dry)
• 50 g grated Parmesan
• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 30 ml strained lemon juice
• zest of 2–3 lemons
• salt, pepper

⚙️ Base Preparations (prep)

Ricotta cream (service base – max 24h shelf life)

• Processed ricotta + Parmesan + oil
• Store covered at +4°C
• Do not add lemon in advance

👨‍🍳 Service Procedure

• Slightly reheat the base with hot water (no direct heat).
• Cook the pasta in standard salted water.
• Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Toss with the cream, adding pasta water.
• Add lemon juice at the end.
• Adjust texture and plate.

🔑 Critical Control Points (CCP)

• Temperature: avoid exceeding 70°C on the cream
• Emulsion: it must be smooth, not grainy
• Acidity: add at the end of the process
• Consistency: fluid but coating (not sticky)

🍽️ Plating

• White deep plate
• Pasta centered with volume
• Finish with:
  • fresh lemon zest
  • ground black pepper
  • drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil

Optional (premium):

• lemon powder
• micro herbs
• shrimp tartare

💰 Estimated Food Cost (indicative)

👉 Cost per portion: ~€1.05
👉 Suggested selling price: €8–12 (depending on the venue)

🔄 Menu Adaptability

• Bistrot: quick base dish
• Mid-range restaurant: vegetarian first course on the menu
• Gourmet: base to enrich with protein or technique

🧠 Professional Logic

Dish designed for:

• fast service
• low raw material cost
• high perception of freshness

The final result depends entirely on technical management during service.

Chef Costantino
Cuisine without borders, but with structure.