Valentine's Day: Bruschetta Recipe

I'm a firm believer in the little gestures of love. It doesn't have to be big and expensive to mean something. That's why this Valentine's Day, I'm encouraging you to treat your loved ones to a delicious home cooked meal...

Don't worry - I'm giving you the recipes!

Starting at the start, here's my bruschetta recipe with ricotta and a homemade pesto.

Bruschetta Recipe with Ricotta and Pesto

Makes 4

Ingredients:

1 baguette

30g fresh Basil

1tbsp nuts - traditionally pine nuts, but also works well with walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachio

20g grated hard cheese like Parmesan or Grana Padano

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

50g Ricotta

100g cherry tomatoes, quartered

Olive oil

Salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat your grill and set it to high. Cut four slices from your baguette. Slicing on a diagonal across the stick will give you much longer slices – meaning more room for toppings!

2. 
   

3. Lay the sliced bread on a baking tray and drizzle with a small amount of oil, to help it crisp. Pop the baking tray under the grill for a minute or so and check the bread. You want it to be nicely toasted but not burnt – keep grilling until it is golden, then flip it over and grill the other side. This side will be much quicker to toast as the bread is already warm. Once the slices are fully toasted on both sides, remove it from the grill and let it cool down.

4. 
   

5. While that cools, you can begin to make your pesto. You can use a pestle and mortar, but it requires some elbow grease! If you’re using a food processor: add the basil, nuts and a little glug of olive oil and blitz. Once the leaves have broken down a bit, you can add some more oil, the cheese and a small pinch of salt. Pulse the food processor and add oil in small quantities until you have reached the consistency of a runny paste. Season to taste with salt.

6. 
   

7. For the tomatoes, use a small frying pan over a medium heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of oil in the pan before adding your tomatoes and a small pinch of salt. Keep moving them around the pan until they have cooked down and are soft and juicy.

8. 
   

9. To assemble your bruschetta, spread a little ricotta over each slice of toast. Top this with a spoonful of the tomatoes and then use a spoon to drizzle over the pesto. You could serve it as it is, or use a small garnish of some rocket or basil.