Love Real Food : More Than 100 Feel-good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body (9781623367428) by Taylor Kathryne

Author:Taylor, Kathryne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rodale Pr
Published: 2017-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Roasted Cherry Tomato Crostini with White Bean Pesto

I am unabashedly in love with roasted cherry tomatoes. They’re a little sweet, a little tart, and full of rich, concentrated tomato flavor. When tomatoes are in season (okay, and even when they aren’t), I can’t get enough cherry tomatoes.

These crostini are a riff on the summertime mainstays of Italian cooking—basil pesto and tomatoes. I blended white beans and Parmesan into the mixture for a rich, creamy spread, which goes great with roasted cherry tomatoes. MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN CROSTINI

TOASTS AND ROASTED TOMATOES

1 whole-grain baguette or small loaf of crusty whole-grain bread (about 14 ounces), cut into ½-inch slices

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 pint (2 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHITE BEAN PESTO

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked beans

1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few more small or torn basil leaves for garnish

⅓ cup raw almonds

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more if needed

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more if needed

¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1½ ounces)

Freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the toasts and roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 400°F with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line one large rimmed baking sheet and one small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. On the large baking sheet, brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil (you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil for this). On the small baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

3. Place the pan of toasts on the middle rack and the pan of tomatoes on the upper rack. Remove the toasts once they are nice and golden on top, 9 to 10 minutes. Continue roasting the tomatoes until they are juicy, tender, and collapsing on themselves, 8 to 9 minutes longer.

4. Meanwhile, to make the white bean pesto: In a food processor, combine the beans, basil, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes. While running the food processor, drizzle in the olive oil and process until the mixture is smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the Parmesan and process again to blend. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if necessary. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash of olive oil and blend again.

5. To assemble the crostini, top each slice of toast with a generous spread of pesto and several roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle with black pepper and garnish each toast with a small basil leaf or some torn fresh basil. Crostini are best served immediately. You’ll have around 1 cup of leftover pesto, which makes a great sandwich spread or dip for vegetables or pita chips.

TIP: Feel free to prepare the spread the day before, but wait to toast the bread and roast the tomatoes until you're ready to serve.

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