Summer Crostini

Inspired to make a selection of crostini to serve al fresco with glasses of chilled Prosecco to friends on Saturday, the pea and broad bean crostini was the hit of the evening.  With no recipe in mind, I made it up as I went along and the result was delicious.  The following ingredients make a generous quantity that would be enough for 12 people.  I didn't weigh anything, just tasted as I went along and adjusted seasoning accordingly.  (The beans and peas were seasonal English crops in packs from Waitrose - hence using the whole bag of each).The method is quick and easy with a Magimix food processor, otherwise will take longer with a large mortar and pestle, along with the energy to pound by hand:

500g Broad beans (weight in their pods)
500g Peas in pods
1 handful freshy grated Pecorino (or Parmesan) cheese
good glug of extra virgin olive oil
2 handfuls fresh mint leaves (de-stalked)
salt and pepper to taste

Shell the peas and beans, then blanch in boiling water for a minute or so.  Drain.  Put the peas and beans in the food processor with the cheese and pulse to combine well together.  Add the mint leaves and a generous pour of olive oil to give a smoother texture.  Blitz again.  Once the texture is to your liking, taste to decide how much seasoning is required.  Ready to serve.

For the crostini I simply sliced a ciabatta loaf, spread the slices over a baking tray, drizzled the bread with olive oil and baked at the top of a heated oven (180 degrees C) for 10 minutes.  This made a lovely crispy base for a variety of toppings.  In addition to the pea and bean spread, I prepared buffalo mozzarella with with homemade wild garlic pesto; along with finely sliced flame roasted red peppers (courtesy of my local delicatessen, as well as a bowl of marinated black olives from Provence).  I completely forgot about the melon and parma ham I was also intending to serve, but no one realised anything was missing.  Guess what I'm having for my lunch today.