Creamy Pea Crostini with Pancetta
Beautiful green creamy pea purée is flavored with mint, chives, and lemon, spread on crisp crostini, and sprinkled with bits of pancetta. These pea crostini appetizers are unforgettable.
Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 1 baguette (made into crostini, see note)
- 8 ounces diced pancetta (or bacon, if you prefer)
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 6 large leaves fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped chives
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat medium-sized frying pan over medium high heat. Fry pancetta until crispy, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain.8 ounces diced pancetta
- Add peas, cream, mint, chives, and salt to bowl of small food processor. Process until smooth.2 cups frozen peas, thawed, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 6 large leaves fresh mint, roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon roughly chopped chives, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Scrape into small bowl and stir in lemon zest. Taste; add salt and coarsely ground black pepper, if needed.1 teaspoon lemon zest
- To assemble crostini, spread approximately 1 tablespoon pea puree on each crostini. Sprinkle on pancetta and shredded Parmesan. Serve immediately.3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Crostini: You can easily make your own crostini (3 ways) with a fresh baguette. This can be done ahead if you want. Crostini can also be purchased.
- Yield: The yield will depend on the size of your crostini and how thickly you spread the pea mixture on each one. I find that I usually get 18 to 24 appetizers.
- Peas: Using canned peas is not recommended. They don't have the fresh color and taste that frozen peas have. Fresh shelled peas work great though.
- Make ahead: To get a head start, fry the pancetta a couple of days ahead of time, refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. The toasted bread slices (crostini) can be prepared a couple of days in advance, cool completely and store in an airtight container. The pea purée can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Stir well before spreading it on the crostini. I like to let it come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1crostini | Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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