“These three recipes would be great served as a small bite with drinks before dinner, or as open-faced sandwiches for lunch.” Kaelin Whittaker, The Ruby Apron
Grilled Sourdough
| 4 slices | sourdough |
| olive oil |
Heat your grill pan until nearly smoking. Gently rub the slices of sourdough with olive oil and place on the grill pan, grill until each piece is gently charred, flip over and do the same. Reserve.
White Bean and Tomato Bruschetta
| 3T | olive oil |
| 1 | large garlic clove, crushed |
| 1 | small red onion, finely diced |
| 1 x 400g tin | of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained |
| 4 | very ripe tomatoes |
| 4 T | marjoram or thyme, chopped |
| salt and pepper | |
| egg, slightly beaten |
Heat the oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onions with a good pinch of salt and grind of black pepper. Cook gently until soft and slightly golden, add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the beans, season well with salt and pepper, and gently cook until warm. Add the tomatoes and herbs to warm. Taste and correct seasoning if needed. To serve: Pile the tomato and bean mixture on to the grilled sourdough, drizzle with olive oil, and serve immediately.
Grilled Sourdough with Herbed Ricotta with Fresh Tomatoes
| perfectly ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced | |
| olive oil | |
| coarse sea salt | |
| slices grilled sourdough |
Topping
| 110g | ricotta |
| 25g | parmesan, grated |
| zest | of one lemon |
| 2 tbsp | thyme, chopped |
| 3 tbsp | parsley, chopped |
| nutmeg | |
| salt and pepper |
Mix the cheeses together, adding herbs, a grating of nutmeg, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. If the ricotta is too thick you can thin it with a good glug of olive oil. To serve: Pile the ricotta mixture on to the grilled sourdough, top with sliced tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, finally add a pinch of coarse sea salt and serve immediately.
Grilled Sourdough with Thinly Sliced Tomato and Basil Oil
| thinly sliced tomatoes | |
| basil oil | |
| grilled sourdough |
Basil Oil
| 200g | basil |
| olive oil | |
| salt and pepper, to taste |
Place the basil in a food processor with a good glug of olive oil. Blitz to chop the basil, add oil through the funnel of the food processor until you have a thick sauce like consistency. Season with salt and pepper. To serve: Place the tomatoes on the grilled sourdough, and drizzle with basil oil. Serve immediately.