Chewy, nutty textured little cakes. Pearled spelt is available from wholefood shops, major supermarkets and many grocers.
Put a medium sized pan of water on to boil. Salt the water and pour in 250g of pearled spelt. Turn the water down to a spirited simmer, partially cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir together 250g of ricotta, 2 egg yolks and season with a half teaspoon of ground chilli and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper. Roughly chop 20g of basil leaves and 10g of mint leaves then add to the ricotta.
Finely grate the zest of a lime into the mixture then add the drained spelt and 2 tablespoons of plain flour. Set aside for 15 minutes, bring together with your hands then shape into 9 or 10 equal sized patties. They should be a couple of centimetres thick and about 7cm in diameter.
Thickly slice 2 large tomatoes. In a jam jar, mix together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a little salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of mustard. Screw the lid on tightly and shake the jar vigorously to mix. Pour over the sliced tomatoes and leave for 20 minutes.
In a shallow pan over a moderate heat, warm a thin film of olive oil, then add the patties and let them cook for about 8 minutes until they have formed a golden crust on the bottom. Turn them carefully over with a palette knife and let them continue cooking for a further five minutes.
Divide the marinated tomatoes between two plates then top with the spelt and basil patties. Serves 2. Ready in 40 minutes.
The little cakes are tender. To avoid them crumbling as they cook, put each one directly into the hot oil, leave it to form a golden crust on the bottom, then turn carefully with a palette knife.