Spring Crostini

Walking through the Pike Place Market a few weeks ago I picked up some fava beans and English peas for a splendido spring crostini. Back at home, I had some cannelini beans soaking for another favorite crostini of mine. These are quick, cheap, and totally satisfying. They are usually served as a starter or a side, but they can also be the main event. 

For the fava bean and English pea crostini, you need to shell a good handful of each. Along with a glug of good olive oil and some fresh mint, use a mortar and pestle to mash them up or give them a whirl in a small food processor. Add a squeeze of lemon, some more olive oil, some grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, and a little dash of salt and pepper. Then spread it on toasted crusty bread of your choice and top with a little more pecorino and fresh mint leaves.

For the cannelini bean crostini, cook your cannelini beans (if they are not of the canned variety). Saute a few cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil and add a couple handfuls of the beans to the pan. Using the back of a fork, mash up the beans and garlic, adding more olive oil if needed and a good swig of red wine vinegar until it forms a nice consistency. Season with some salt and pepper. Beforehand, make a rosemary olive oil by smashing some fresh rosemary and a pinch of salt into the oil. Spread the beans on some toasted, crusty bread and spoon on the rosemary olive oil. This will be our last post for a while as we travel to Italy for a couple weeks. I'm sure we'll return with many items that gustato come un buon!! Until then, here is part one of a great Italian film, Divorce Italian Style.