Chef Joe Carli incorporates a bunch of early seasonal standouts – asparagus, peas and fava beans – into his bruschetta recipe. While he and the team at Osteria Posto make their own ricotta, he’s got some suggestions if you don’t have that kind of time (or aren’t feeling that ambitious). Give it a whirl for an easy peasy starter that’s like spring on a plate.
Details
Servings: 12-15
Ingredients
12-15 slices of ciabatta bread, grilled
3 cups fresh ricotta
6 lemons
3 cups fresh peas
5-10 stalks asparagus (depending on the size)
1 1/2 cups blanched and picked fava beans (optional)
1/4 cup watermelon radish, micro-planed into thin slices
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup mint, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
To prepare:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath to have at the ready.
Starting with the asparagus, submerge all of the spears in the salted water for 1 minute up to 2 depending on how big the spears are.
Once cooked quickly shock the asparagus in the ice water.
Repeat this process with the peas and then the favas last if you are using them.
Chop the peas, favas, and asparagus to a uniform size.
Stir in the radish, zest from 3 lemons, 2 cups extra virgin olive oil, parsley and mint. The consistency should be that of a tight salsa. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Mix the fresh ricotta with the zest of 3 lemons, the juice from 1 lemon and about 1 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
To serve
Spread a little of the ricotta (Carli prefers Maplebrook Farms if he's not making his own from scratch) on the warm grilled bread, then spoon the asparagus mixture on top. At Osteria Posto they drizzle the finished plate with aged balsamic, but that's up to you.
