Pea-Ricotta Dip

This easy and foolproof dip, made from frozen peas and ricotta, is the perfect thing to smear on crusty bread or crackers, or rescue you from a zombie apocalypse. Feel free to play with the proportions, adding more or less ricotta, lemon zest or mint; it never disappoints.

Makes about a cup and a half of dip.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta, divided

Finely grated zest of one small lemon, divided

1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the frozen peas in a colander and rinse with warm water to thaw. Transfer them to the bowl of a food processor or blender, add 1/4 cup of the ricotta, half of the lemon zest, the mint (if using) and the salt. Blend until smooth.

2. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Add the remaining ricotta, and swirl it in, but not completely — you’ll want to get bites that have some blended dip and some pure ricotta together in a bite. Sprinkle on the rest of the lemon zest, along with the black pepper and the rest of the mint, if using. Serve with toasted crostini, toasted rye or pumpernickle, or crackers.