Bruschetta doesn’t have to be boring! Try this delicious recipe from Francesca's Italian Kitchen, heartland Italian cooking from a much-loved South Island group of restaurants.
The smoked chilli salsa is the star of the show and works perfectly with the freshness of the broccolini and the creamy ricotta.
Serves 4 as an entrée.
Smoked Chilli Salsa
Ingredients
Salsa
2 red capsicums
3 dried, smoked ancho chillies, rehydrated for 1 hour in warm water
1 red chilli, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1½ tbsp smoked paprika
100ml lemon juice
1 tbsp flaky salt
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Bruschetta
8 small stalks of broccolini
Iced water
4 slices of good-quality, dense sourdough bread
1 garlic clove
Olive oil, for drizzling
8 tbsp ricotta
8 black garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Method
To make the salsa, char the capsicums over a naked flame until black. If you don’t have a gas flame, place under a hot grill for about 5 minutes. Turn and grill the other side for another 5 minutes.
Put the hot capsicums in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Cut capsicums in half and remove the seeds and stalk. Set to one side.
Remove the ancho chillies from the water and drain. Roughly chop and add to a food processor along with all the other ingredients, including the capsicums. Blend to form a smooth paste.
Preheat the grill to high.
To make the bruschetta, put a small saucepan of water over a medium-high heat and bring it to the boil. Blanch the broccolini in the water for 1 minute and then strain and put into iced water to halt the cooking process. Once cool, drain well on a clean tea towel, slice lengthways and set aside.
Place the sourdough under the grill and cook for 2 minutes each side until crisp and slightly charred. Rub each piece with the clove of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spoon on two tablespoons of ricotta per slice and top with stalks of broccolini.
Divide the sliced black garlic evenly among the bruschetta and drizzle a tablespoon of the smoked chilli salsa over each.
Serve immediately.
Try this rustic dish from Calabria in the south of Italy. It's one of the many delicious recipes from Francesca's Italian Kitchen - out now.
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