Garden Pea Crostini with Mint
A completely divine dinner at Corso 32 (worth the drive from Calgary – for real) including spring pea crostini with ricotta salata, roasted pine nuts & mint, reminded me of the time I made such a thing, and how easy it was. And it occurred to me that some of you might have access to garden peas, and so sharing this now would be timely. Add arugula, lemon and Parmesan and spoon it over garlicky toasts; if you like, spread them thinly with soft goat cheese first.
When I make crostini – I know there are hundreds of ways to make little toasts – I like them garlicky, but don’t like rubbing each slice with a cut clove. So instead, I peel and lightly crush a clove of garlic and drop it into a small ramekin of olive oil – the garlic infuses the oil, so that when you brush it on the crostini, it’s nice and garlicky. (You’ll then find yourself pouring the garlicky oil into pans to saute things in, and think of a ton of other uses for it.)
Garden Pea Crostini with Mint
AuthorJulie
Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal into 1/3-inch slices; place on a baking sheet. Pour the oil into a small ramekin and place the garlic clove in it. Use the oil to brush on both sides of the crostini, then bake for 10 minutes, or until pale golden.
Meanwhile, bring about an inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan and cook the fava beans or edamame for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under water to stop them from cooking. If you’re using fava beans, peel off their tough outer skins.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the peas, arugula, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and garlic until well blended. If you’d like it smoother and looser, add more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Spoon the arugula mixture onto the crostini and top with small leaves of (or finely chopped) fresh mint. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal into 1/3-inch slices; place on a baking sheet. Pour the oil into a small ramekin and place the garlic clove in it. Use the oil to brush on both sides of the crostini, then bake for 10 minutes, or until pale golden.
Meanwhile, bring about an inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan and cook the fava beans or edamame for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under water to stop them from cooking. If you’re using fava beans, peel off their tough outer skins.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the peas, arugula, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and garlic until well blended. If you’d like it smoother and looser, add more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Spoon the arugula mixture onto the crostini and top with small leaves of (or finely chopped) fresh mint. Serve immediately.
Easy peasy, hey?
This looks delicious.
That looks worth trying
This looks fantastic! I love small crostinis, once you start eating them though, it’s hard to keep your paws to yourself, mmm 🙂 x
Just don’t get clever and leave a bunch of garlic cloves infusing in oil for ages thinking you’ll have a nice supply of garlicky oil for later. The garlic often has some botulism spores from the soil, which can grow beautifully in the anaerobic oil environment. And then you’ll die, which would be sad.