I’ve always loved sandwiches–one of my favorite memories is going to visit my Grandparents and Aunt and cousins for a couple weeks every summer, and the first thing we did after tumbling out of the hot and sticky East Coast summer car was run into my Grandparent’s kitchen and pull out all the sandwich fixings. Rye and pumpernickel breads, crispy, cool lettuce, lunch meats and cheeses, mustard and mayonnaise. I’ve always regarded the sandwich as a comfort food and associated it with happy times.
Oh, Sandwich! Such melodrama!
I decided to make a trio of crostini one Saturday–little pan-fried bread slices topped with three different toppings. Maybe it was due to my having just run a 12-mile trail run, and my husband cycling 40 miles around a mountain, but this meal was a smashing success! One crostini {crostino?} topped with a cannellini bean spread with fresh cucumber slices; one topped with creamy guacamole with olive oil tomatoes; one topped with pistachio basil pesto with fried potato rounds. These toppings are simple enough for a family gathering, or sophisticated enough for a dinner party.
This was a perfect meal for the two of us {although I admit we ate as much as a dinner party would have}. We treated the pan-fried breads like tortilla chips and dipped away! I have to warn you–if you ever come over for chips and dip, or crostini, for that matter–we liberally and unabashedly double dip.
CANNELLINI BEAN SPREAD WITH CUCUMBER SLICES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 3 mini sweet cucumbers, finely sliced
- 1 baguette, if serving as crostini
DIRECTIONS
- Smash the Cannellini beans with a fork or a potato smasher to a rough paste. Add the lemon zest and juice and parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and a swirl or two of olive oil. Stir together and serve with breadsticks, crackers, or crostini.
- To make crostini, slice a baguette on the bias. Brush with olive oil and bake in a 400F oven until browned on each side, or pan fry in a skillet with olive oil, turning until each side is golden.
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CREAMY GUACAMOLE WITH OLIVE OIL TOMATOES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 avocado, peeled and pit removed
- 1/4 cup red onion, very finely chopped
- 2 scallions, green ends finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 baguette, if serving as crostini
DIRECTIONS
- Smash the avocado with a fork or potato smasher to a rough paste. Add the red onion through the lime zest and juice and gently stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- For the olive oil tomatoes, slice the grape tomatoes in half or in quarters, if they are larger in size, and place in a small bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and stir.
- To serve with crostini, slice a baguette on the bias. Brush with olive oil and bake in a 400F oven until browned on each side, or pan fry in a skillet with olive oil, turning until each side is golden.
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PISTACHIO BASIL PESTO WITH FRIED POTATO ROUNDS
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2-3 small red, white, or yukon gold potatoes
- 1 baguette, if serving as crostini
DIRECTIONS
- Place all ingredients in a blender, add salt and pepper to taste and start with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse the blender until slightly mixed, clean the sides of the blender with a spatula, and blend again, adding more olive oil while blending until the pesto comes together in a smooth consistency.
- Slice the potatoes very thinly. Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat to medium-high. Place the potato slices in a single layer in the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pan fry until golden on each side.
- To serve with crostini, slice the baguette on the bias. Brush with olive oil and bake in a 400F oven until browned on each side, or pan fry in a skillet with olive oil, turning until each side is golden.
meatlessmain.com