SEATTLE — Becky Selengut event at Town Hall Seattle is on April 3
Sourdough Toasts with Charred Radicchio Walnut Mint Pesto, and Ricotta
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the Walnut Mint Pesto
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced fine
- 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes
For Assembly
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 10 ounces Chioggia or Treviso radicchio
- (1 medium head), cored removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 8 slices sourdough bread, cut 3/4 inch thick
- 8 ounces Ricotta (recipe follows or use store-bought whole milk ricotta)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons of your favorite olive oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. To make the walnut-mint pesto, put all the pesto ingredients into a food processor (or an immersion blender) and pulse to a slightly chunky texture. Taste and adjust as needed. Set aside
To prepare the radicchio, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the radicchio and salt, stir once, and then let it sit in contact with the pan to caramelize. Stir occasionally. If your pan is too small, do this in two batches. When the radicchio has wilted and some parts have browned a bit, add the balsamic and brown sugar. Keep stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat.
Turn on the broiler. Place the pieces of bread on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Broil on the middle rack, watching the bread carefully so it doesn’t burn. You want it to be browned and crispy on top. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To put it all together, spread an equal amount of the ricotta on each toast. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of pesto on top of the ricotta, spreading it out. Top with the radicchio. Finish with a light drizzle of honey and your favorite olive oil on top.
Ricotta
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 cups whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized
- 1 cup cultured buttermilk
- Salt, to taste
Directions:
Combine the milk, heavy cream, and buttermilk in a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture has reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit, stop stirring. When the mixture forms curds and the whey separates and becomes clear, turn off the heat. Let it sit off the heat for 30 minutes, undisturbed, to allow the curds to strengthen.
Set a strainer over a bowl and line with two layers of cheesecloth. Pour the ricotta onto the cheesecloth and let it drain until most of the whey is out. I typically do this in the fridge, as it can take about 30 minutes to fully drain. But you can certainly leave the ricotta with more moisture if you want to do a quicker drain.
Salt to taste (usually about 3/4 teaspoon). Fresh ricotta will last in your fridge for about 1 week.
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.