ofm top twenty: broad bean, mint and ricotta bruschette

i’ve had this polpo recipe for broad bean, mint and ricotta bruschette on my “to make” list for ages so it was great to see it in the ofm top twenty, as that gave me the necessary nudge.

my expectations were high – summer flavours, easy food and quick to pull together. so, how did i get on?

i decided to use a small ciabatta load as my base and used frozen broad beans, which i always have in. the beans are blanched, mixed with olive oil, lemon zest and juice plus mint. the bread is toasted, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil before having the ricotta and broad bean mix piled on. the recipe is easy to follow but it’d be equally easy to freestyle.

the final verdict:

would i have tried this recipe if it hadn't been part of the ofm top twenty? yes – love those flavours

would i try this recipe again in the future? yes – everything works wonderfully well and while i ate this as a light lunch it’d be equally good as a starter or snack.

polpo's broad bean, mint and ricotta bruschette (for 2 bruschette)

1 good handful podded broad beans

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bread

zest and a little juice from 1 lemon

10 mint leaves, roughly chopped

flaky sea salt and black pepper

2 thick slices sourdough or soda bread

½ a garlic clove

3 tablespoons fresh ricotta

place the broad beans into boiling water for 5 minutes, remove and plunge into cold water, then drain and skin them. put the beans in a small bowl and dress them in the olive oil, the lemon zest, a little lemon juice and most of the chopped mint. season with salt and pepper.

toast or grill the slices of sourdough or soda bread so that they are crunchy on the outside but still have a bit of give when squeezed. rub one side of each slice a few times with the cut side of the garlic clove so that it melts into the bread's hot surface. drizzle with olive oil.

season the fresh ricotta with flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste, then spread on to the hot, garlicky sourdough or soda bread. top with the broad beans and garnish with the remaining chopped mint.