Spring Pea And Ricotta Crostini With Fava Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a pastry brush, brush a cookie sheet with oil. Place the sliced pieces of baguette on the cookie sheet and lightly brush each piece with oil. Bake until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes.
• With a mortar-and-pestle or a food processor, puree the fava beans with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
• In a skillet on high heat, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons olive oil and shallots until tender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spread a spoonful of the fava puree on each slice of baguette and then top with a small amount ricotta then garnish with a piece of cooked morel.

Steps:

• For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.
• Top with tomato halves and serve.
• *Cook's note: If you don't have day-old bread on hand, you can dry out fresh bread by putting the slices in a preheated 300 degree F oven until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• If the fava beans are very small and soft, you can use them raw. If they are medium to large, blanch them until just tender in unsalted boiling water (remove the skins after blanching if they are slightly tough). Smash or finely chop half the beans and leave the other half whole.
• Put all the beans into a bowl with the chopped mint (added to taste), olive oil and ricotta. Lightly fork this through, adding the Parmesan, lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Stuff the ravioli with the filling and cook them in gently boiling salted water for around 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain carefully.
• Serve drizzled with a little extra olive oil, and scattered with the extra fava beans, some chopped mint, olive oil and some freshly grated or shaved Parmesan.

Steps:

• Preheat a grill over medium-low. Add the baguette slices and grill on both sides until toasted. Remove from the grill and rub the toasts with the garlic clove (discard clove). Drizzle lightly with the chili oil. Set the toasts aside.
• If using fresh peas, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and blanch, about 1 minute. Then pour onto a sheet tray lined with a clean kitchen towel and allow to cool. If using frozen peas, add to a strainer and rinse under warm water to thaw, then set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, coarsely grated Parmesan, minced garlic, lemon zest and a pinch sea salt. Stir to combine. Add the peas and stir with a wooden spoon, lightly mashing the peas with the back of the spoon.
• To assemble, spoon the cheese and pea mixture onto the toasts, top with extra Parmesan to garnish, and serve.