I've been eating it on the Italian buffet at Valentino's Restaurant since I was ten. I love the texture, how it is almost dry with so much ricotta and Parmesan , and the chunks of ham (or in this recipe, salami) are salty and so good with cold ribbons of spinach fettuccine. With our buffets in restaurants mostly shut down now, I determined to make this at home- without a recipe from the restaurant- which is fine, because my memory (taste buds) showed me the way.
"I used salami, but you can do chunks of ham or summer sausage- whatever floats your boat."
Notes: Ricotta cheese is made with whole milk.
VAL & TINO'S SPINACH FETTUCINI SALAD
Ingredients: 8 oz. spinach fettuccine noodles, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tbsp. milk, 1/2 tsp. dried parsley, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup chopped hard salami, 1 chopped shallot.
Serves 4-6.
1. Cook pasta to al dente in salted water, drain, rinse in cold water and drain well. Toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Set aside.
2. Combine ricotta, garlic, milk, salt, pepper, parsley and Parmesan in a large bowl, stir well.
3. Add the noodles, and toss to coat. Fold in the salami and shallot. Taste for seasoning.
4. Serve immediately.