Warmer spring days call for lighter eats and this Pea and Prosciutto Crostini hits all the marks!
Pea and Prosciutto Crostini
Who knew that peas and prosciutto on a perfectly crisp crostini would be so delicious?! Boy, are we hooked! What’s great about this appetizer is that within a matter of minutes, you’ll have a platter of bright and fresh Pea and Prosciutto Crostini waiting to be devoured.
Crostini–the perfect vessel for toppings
Not familiar with crostini? Essentially, crostini–or “little toast” in Italian–is sliced baguette bread that’s brushed with olive oil and toasted or grilled until crispy.
You can use a fresh french baguette or turn that stale baguette that’s been sitting in your kitchen into thinly sliced, crunchy vessels ready for topping.
Crostini are typically topped with creamy spreads, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and commonly featured at parties or gatherings–but there’s no need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy this irresistible finger food.
Be it a movie night, pre-dinner snack, or a deliciously textured pairing to your glass of crisp white wine on a warm afternoon, crostini makes for fun (and highly delicious!) eats.
How to make crostini
- Use Baguette (French) bread or, if your local bakery offers ciabatta baguette, that will work great, too.
- Cut baguette into diagonal ½ inch thick slices.
- Brush olive oil on both sides and place in oven under BROIL setting for two minutes on each side.
What makes this Pea and Prosciutto Crostini taste so good?
The balance of naturally sweet peas paired with the saltiness of the prosciutto makes for a perfect pairing of flavors. The pea mixture contains freshly grated parmesan, lemon juice, kosher salt, and olive oil, and is mashed together, making a pea spread.
The secret to taking the flavor up a notch is by rubbing fresh garlic on the crostini. This extra step really takes the tasting experience to another level and cannot be skipped! Okay, back to assembling the crostini…
..After spreading pea mixture over the crostini, it is topped with a slice of prosciutto, lemon zest and mint. The result? A crunchy, zesty will-keep-you-reaching-for-more treat.
Fresh or frozen peas?
I’ve made this recipe using both fresh and frozen peas and both fair equally as good. If opting for fresh peas, they’ll need to be blanched for 2 minutes whereas frozen peas only need to be blanched for 1 minute. Additionally, fresh peas have a slightly brighter green hue, but that won’t affect taste.
Wine pairing? Yes, please!
Two options that will pair beautifully with this Pea and Prosciutto Crostini are a well-chilled, crisp Grüner or Sauvignon Blanc–cheers!
Tips and tricks
- Zest lemon before halving and juicing. Zesting fruit in its whole state will provide better control.
- Slice and toast crostini first, then move on to making the pea spread. This makes for easy and quick assembly.
- While crostini is still warm, rub one side and edges with fresh garlic. Doing this when the crostini is no longer warm will result in less pronounced garlic flavor.
In the mood for more fresh, light eats?
Can’t get enough of this Pea and Prosciutto Crostini?
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Pea and Prosciutto Crostini
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cup fresh or frozen peas
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, I use Diamond brand
- 1½ tablespoons good quality olive oil + 2 tablespoons for brushing
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ lemon, zest for garnish
- 1 large garlic clove, halved
- Mint for garnish, chiffonade or cut into thin strips
- 1 ciabatta baguette, sliced into 12 ½-inch diagonal slices
- ¼ pound prosciutto, thinly sliced
Instructions
Baguette
- 1. Preheat oven on Broil setting.
- Slice baguette into 12 ½-inch diagonal slices.
- Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.
- Toast for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp.
- While toast is still warm, rub halved garlic clove on one side of crostini–be sure to rub the edges with garlic, too!
- Once each toast is rubbed with garlic, set aside.
Pea Mixture
- Bring a medium saucepan with 2½ cups of water to a boil. Add peas and blanch; 2 minutes or until tender for fresh peas, 1 minute for frozen peas.
- Drain peas and place in a bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash peas just enough so that it resembles a textured spread.
- Add parmesan, kosher salt, olive oil, lemon juice and mix well. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if needed.
Assembly
- Arrange crostini on a platter. Spread pea mixture on crostini. Top with prosciutto and garnish with mint and lemon zest.
