Crostini with Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage
Little crostini are a great bite for Christmas guests to have while they wait for the main event. You can make the pickle well in advance, we pickle some of our pumpkins to help preserve gluts from the garden.
First published in House and Garden. Photography by Helen Cathcart.
Serves 6
Prep time: 30mins
OVEN TIME: 10MINS
INGREDIENTS
1 small pumpkin (onion squash or similar soft rind pumpkin)
For the pickling
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
A pinch of chilli flakes
2 bay leaves
400ml cider vinegar
300g caster sugar
70ml water
¼ loaf stale sourdough bread
20-30 sage leaves
300g ricotta
Vegetable oil for frying
Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan oven/mark 2
For the pickled pumpkin, halve the pumpkin and de-seed each half. Slice thinly into half-moons.
Put the pickling ingredients into a pan big enough for the pumpkins and bring to the boil. Add in the pumpkin and cover with a round of baking parchment. Cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat or until the pumpkin is soft. Allow to cool completely or jar for later use.
Slice the loaf as thinly as you can. Lay the slices on a baking tray and drizzle olive oil over them. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Cool completely.
Put the vegetable oil into a high sided pan and over a medium heat. After 3-4 minutes check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a sage leaf: it should fizz and cook crisp in about 30 seconds. If the oil is hot enough fry the rest of the sage, lifting the leaves out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Drain on kitchen paper.
Spread some ricotta onto your crostini, top with the pumpkin, and a crispy sage leaf. Add a crack of black pepper and serve.
