Asparagus and Fava Bean Crostini
Ingredients:
• Ciabatta Bread
• Stalks of asparagus, blanched and shocked in ice (about 4)
• Grilled spring onions
• Sungold tomatoes
• Fava bean puree
• Meyer lemon vinaigrette
• Shaved parmesan cheese
• Fava tendrils
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Fava Bean Puree
Ingredients:
• 3 roast garlic cloves
• 1 cup shucked, cooked and peeled fava beans
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice and zest from one lemon
• Zest from ½ an orange
• 1.5 tsp chopped rosemary
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the fava beans, garlic cloves, lemon and orange zest, lemon juice and rosemary into the food processor and blend, Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and mixture will emulsify and become smooth, Taste and season with salt and fresh ground pepper
Roast Garlic Cloves:
Take a handful of garlic cloves and place them in a saucepan. Cover with olive oil – just enough oil to barely cover cloves. The oil will expand as it warms. When the oil is warm, cover pot and throw in a 350-degree oven and allow to poach the garlic cloves. Check in around 30 minutes and continue poaching until garlic cloves are soft. Remove pan from oven, uncover and remove cloves from oil and let cool on a paper towel. Let the oil cool and save it to use as a garlic-scented olive oil.
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
• Zest from one meyer lemon
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 TBS chopped shallots
• 6 TBS meyer lemon juice
• ¼ cup honey
• 2.5 cups extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Brush sliced ciabatta bread with olive oil on both sides and toast on both
sides until golden brown.
Cut 4 blanched asparagus pieces into 3 each and place them in a bowl
with a grilled chopped spring onion, a small handful of fava leaves and ¼
cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half. Toss lightly with the Meyer lemon
vinaigrette, salt and fresh ground pepper (remember you can always add
more dressing and seasoning, but you can never remove it)
Spread some of the fava puree on the toasted ciabatta bread and place
on a platter. Place small handfuls of the asparagus mix on each piece of
bread and garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and serve.