Today I had the luck/time/lunch buddy to go to Torrisi for lunch. Torrisi Italian Specialties is a cute Italian hole-in-the-wall in Nolita that is a deli by day and a restaurant by night. Their roast turkey sandwich has been considered among the best in NYC for a while now, and their prix fixe dinner is apparently unbelievable, as well as a great deal for NYC ($50 dollars for dinner--but they don't take reservations--be prepared to wait on line for a few hours!). I, of course, had to try this famed turkey sandwich (and it did live up to the hype) but I couldn't keep myself from ordering some of their fresh ricotta to take back with me. MAN is it good! It is creamy, salty, smooth and I was eating it by the spoonful when I opened it up. Once my self-control caught up with me I realized I needed to eat something else for dinner besides cheese, however delicious it was. Crostini is the perfect vehicle, and ricotta pairs so well with salty and sweet I just had to create two types, to get the full effect. These mini open faced sandwiches are you have the perfect way to use the freshest produce you have in your fridge (have you tasted the nectarines or peaches lately!?) and really epitomize the Italian way of cooking--the best ingredients don't need much to taste good. Perfect for appetizers at a party, or for a whole meal if you're hanging by yourself, here are two suggestions for ricotta crostini that I hope you'll enjoy while it's still warm out.
What you'll need (serves 2 for appetizers):
1/2 baguette
Ricotta cheese
Crostini 1 (non-vegetarian):
2 ripe nectarines
1/4 pound good prosciutto/serrano ham/iberico ham
Crostini 2 (vegetarian):
Good olive oil
Grape tomatoes
Cut the baguette at an angle, so you have long, pretty pieces.
Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese on each piece.
Cut tomatoes lengthwise and place atop the ricotta on your vegetarian pieces. Lay one piece of ham on the other slices.
Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, and place thinly sliced nectarine atop the ham.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment