Again! So, whenever I make crostini, I have this problem where I can never make just one thing to go on them. At least two toppings, with three being optimal. If I wasn’t simultaneously making brownies, I would have liked to make some tapenade or tomato and avocado topping as well. The avocados here are so cheap. At our hotel in Antigua last weekend, the various courtyards had huge avocado trees in them that were heavy with ripe avocados. It was tempting to climb up and pluck a few, but I resisted.
Anyway, I made up this Baba ganoush from memory and using the ingredients I had on hand in our little Guatemala City kitchen.
- 1 medium eggplant, stabbed several times with a fork and halved
- 2 T evoo, plus more for brushing the eggplant
- 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 lime, juiced (should have been lemon, but whatever)
- 3 T tahini
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/4 t ground pepper
- 1/8 t red pepper flakes
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the flesh of the eggplant halves generously with evoo and bake, skin side up for 30 minutes. (or until fully cooked / the skin starts to deform).
- After the eggplant has cooled (about 15 minutes), scrape out the eggplant flesh with a spoon and discard the skin and stems.
- Roughly chop the eggplant so that there are no big chunks. Stir in the remaining ingredients, adjusting juice and seasonings to taste.
Still in Guatemala, so i just made this up based on what I could find. There is this really nice little grocery store on our block (a safe distance for me to walk alone) and I was struck by how cheap basil was – 18 Quetzals for a big, healthy bunch (about $2.30). It was also the first time I had seen a good looking baguette in a grocery store here (VERY exciting). So the crostini just kind of happened. This pesto recipe is the result of working with extremely limited kitchen tools and supplies, but came out really well because the basil was so good. The radish adds a nice crunch and pepper flavor.
Pesto:
- 4 C basil leaves, washed super well
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 (?) C almonds
- 1/4 C evoo
- 2 T lime juice
- 2 T Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/4 t fresh ground pepper
- toast the almonds on the stove. medium to medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes. stir occasionally so as not to burn them!
- pulse toasted almonds in food processor until they are finely chopped.
- add whole garlic and process until the garlic is all chopped up. Then add oil then basil and process until the basil is all chopped.
- stir in cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Crostini:
- Set the oven to broiler.
- Slice baguette into 1/4″ to 3/8″ slices and arrange as many as you can fit on a baking sheet. Our oven is so tiny that I did batches on the little pan that comes in your toaster-oven. Yeah.
- Brush with evoo. Since of course I didn’t have a brush, I dipped a fork in a glass of evoo and spread that over the slices. You really don’t want too much olive oil on the bread, just enough to make them golden.
- Toast in the oven for about 4 minutes.
* Optional – slice a clove of garlic in half and rub on the toasts, either before baking or right after they come out. This is good if you like garlic as much as I do.
Assemble:
- 5 – 6 radishes, thoroughly washed and sliced as thin as possible
- spread a tablespoon of pesto on each toast, then top with a few radish slices. Done.
This was so easy to make and tasted great. And…. it was the first ‘recipe’ I made from scratch myself!
The edamame come out slightly crunchy and full of flavor. The minced ginger are especially tasty.
- 8 oz frozen shelled edamame
- 1 T minced fresh ginger (essential!)
- 1 1/2 T soy sauce
- 1 T canola oil
- salt and fresh ground pepper
- preheat oven to 375 F.
- rinse the edamame in a sieve under lukewarm water to thaw. pat dry in a paper or clean dishtowel.
- in a small bowl, toss edamame with oil, soy sauce, and ginger.
- spread mixture evenly over baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- cook for 30-40 minutes, until they become golden, stirring every 10 minutes.
So simple. So good. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen to be lactose- free.
- 1 15-ounce can of white cannelini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red pepper
- 2 clove garlic
- 1/3 C lemon juice
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425F. Roast the red pepper for about 15 minutes on each side, until it starts hissing and the skin is blackened.
- Puree the garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add everything else and blend until smooth.
- Season to taste.
ps. I made that bread, too!
two skinny jenkins 