It’s Easter morning and your mom says you’re on appetizer duty for the family meal in two hours. The fridge is barren, the stores are closed, it’s crunch time, you’re breaking a sweat, and just as it seems that all hope is lost… you pull the frozen peas out of the freezer. So cheap, so boring, and most importantly, so green. As long as your plate is popping with this color, you can pass it off as a trendy “springtime” dish, and yes, you will be showered with compliments because of it.
Ricotta and peas are a classic combination, so we’re going to exploit that synergy as much as possible for this one. We start with a properly toasted crostini. Really simple - just brushed with oil and broiled until nice and crispy. Next up, the green pea ricotta. This is something that tastes pleasant, but couldn’t carry your dish to Flavortown on its own. Ricotta and peas provide a mellow, unassuming flavor that we want to maintain, and that is why we opt to use a neutral oil instead of the assertively-flavored extra virgin olive oil. Why add the oil in the first place? Well, ricotta is modestly fatty on its own, but with all the added peas, you really start to dip below the required fat content to make the spread luscious and creamy.
Now for the mashed pea “pesto”. Is this even a pesto? Probably not, but I don’t know what else to call it. Silky, chunky, lemony, garlicky, herby, and salty… all at the same time. If the ricotta is the ying, this is the yang. The bright, “in your face” flavors of the pesto slap you one direction, and just when you think it may have been too much to handle, the simple, comforting ricotta gently pulls you back down to earth, leaving your taste buds in a blissful state of satisfying balance.
Poetry aside, these are both delicious and easy to make. Bring this to the Spring potluck, and you will receive high praise.
Let’s get after it!
Ingredients
Makes like… 20 crostini
1 large baguette sliced thin on the bias
16oz bag of frozen peas
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon neutral oil (safflower, vegetable, canola, etc.)
Extra virgin olive oil
Any green herbs on hand (chives / parsley / mint / tarragon)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
Method
Brush bread slices with olive oil. Broil on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
Thaw frozen peas by blanching in boiling water. After 20 seconds, drain peas and plunge into ice water. This will help maintain a bright green color.
For ricotta spread: Add half the peas, ricotta, juice and zest of one lemon, vegetable oil, herbs, and salt into the food processor. Blend until smooth. Season to taste.
For mashed pea pesto: Add half the peas, juice and zest of your other lemon, garlic, parmesan cheese, herbs, and salt into a mixing bowl. Mash with a cocktail muddler or any similar object. You want the peas to break down enough to provide body to the pesto, while still maintaining some interesting texture. Incorporate extra virgin olive oil slowly until the “pesto” develops a silky texture, about 1/4 cup. Season to taste.
Spread green pea ricotta onto each crostini followed by a dollop of mashed pea pesto.
Arrange on a platter, sprinkle herbs over the whole thing, serve to your friends and family, eat, and most of all… enjoy.