By Lizzie Moss
I know what you’re going to say. Pickles on toast? Wow. Revolutionary. But the key to this dish is in its simplicity. And if you’re one of those unusual people who opens the burger bun and gets rid of the pickles, you can see yourself out. This recipe is not for you.
These crostinis are a great snack or lunch accompaniment when you don’t have much in the fridge and your bread is going stale. It’s also a great little starter or side to serve when you have people over, especially with the weather warming up. I always like my guests to fill up on bread, just in case I under-cater (which hasn’t happened yet but alas, a girl can panic).
I used some great local produce for this; pickled ‘bread and butter’ zucchini, which I picked up from the Slow Food market in West Footscray. Of course, if you grow your own zucchini you can pickle your own!
Ingredients (makes six slices)
- Pickled zucchinis (the brand I used is called ACIDE)
- Sourdough bread
- 250g of smooth ricotta
- Plenty of olive oil (I like ones with robust or punchy on the label)
- Juice from half a lemon, plus some zest
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh basil to garnish
Method
- Slice your bread into thick slices, drizzle with olive oil and place under the grill until golden.
- Meanwhile, in a small blender, combine the ricotta, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Adjust as necessary — I like my mixture quite sweet to compliment the acidity of the pickles. If you don’t have a blender, just hand mix it really well.
- If you want to be a bit fancy, use a piping bag to pipe the whipped ricotta mixture onto the toast. If not, just spoon it on, nice and thick. Be generous.
- Top with the pickled zucchinis. You could also slice and roast zucchini pieces instead, but that’s best done a few hours in advance.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest, followed by some basil, torn into small pieces. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil.
