(Editor's note: Before I start this post, I feel it important to mention the elephant in the room- or at least, the elephant-sized space that's appearing at the top of this post between the title and post itself. I have no idea why it's there or how to get rid of it. Please indulge me and ignore my technical difficulties, and focus instead on the deliciousness contained in this posting. Thank you for your cooperation.)
It's finally Spring, which means it's farmer's market season again! Seeing as I love vegetables and being outside, farmer's markets are right up my alley. Apparently it's high season for asparagus, since every stall had tons of the stuff, so of course we had to get some. Most of the asparagus was of the thicker variety, less delicate and better for grilling, and that's what inspired the delightful lunch of asparagus avocado crostini. The recipe is loosely based off of this one , except mine has more outdoorsyness (grilling) and cuter, more delicious bread (does anyone really like rye bread?)
These crostini made for a lovely, Spring-y, light lunch. I could definitely see making them to bring to a picnic or as an appetizer. There were a few different components that went into this that might make it seem labor intensive, but really it wasn't hard to throw together. Grill up some asparagus and bread, put mashed avocado and Parmesan on top, and voila! Done. If you don't feel like grilling this could also be done by roasting in the oven, but grilling does add a nice flavor to it all.
Start by marinating the asparagus in some olive oil, garlic, and sea salt, and brushing the bread with olive oil.
Grill both ingredients (full disclosure- I wasn't the one grilling).
When the bread is done, spread the avocado mixture on top.
Cut the asparagus to the size of the bread, and lay it on top.
Sprinkle on some Parmesan and sea salt. It doesn't have to be perfect- just scatter it and trust that Parmesan
cheese has the magical quality of making everything taste and look better almost always.
Cook on the top rack of the grill, with the top closed, just long enough to melt the cheese.
Take a picture of your dog asking for Parmesan while the crostini are cooking.
Remind yourself that you're supposed to be focusing on food, not small furry mammals that are waving at you on your porch.
Resume cooking.
Ta-da! Finished product. To me they just scream "Spring!", which is exactly what I want after a very cold winter.
Although I should mention that being an herbivore, none of my food actually screams.
Which I definitely consider to be a positive.
The finished crostino. Fun fact- crostino is singular, crostini is plural.
In case anyone has ever tried to incorrectly say "crostinis", now you can judge them and snobbishly correct their grammar.
On to the recipe!
Ingredients:
About 2/3 of a bunch of thick asparagus
1 baguette, sliced into thick rounds
1 avocado
Parmesan cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic
Sea Salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
Directions:
1. Cut the tough ends off the asparagus. Marinate the asparagus in 4 cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cut the bread into rounds, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Optional- gently crush a clove of garlic and rub it on the bread before coating in olive oil.
2. Grill the asparagus and bread until the asparagus is cooked and the bread is browned. While it's grilling, mash the avocado with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread the mashed avocado on the cooked bread. Cut the asparagus into pieces and place on top of the avocado spread. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt and grated Parmesan.
4. Cook on the top part of the grill, with the cover down, just until the cheese is melted. If your grill doesn't have a top part (the technical term for it, obviously) then just be really careful that you don't burn the bread as the cheese melts.
5. Done! Consume immediately for best results.
