16 Aug tomato bruschetta + peas on toast

These recipes first appeared in Insider Magazine in The Irish Independent on August 14th

Sometimes there is just nothing better than a crispy slice of toast slathered in something lovely. We almost forgot how easy it was to whip of a batch of tomato bruschetta, and how colourful a pile of pea purée is on a slice of sourdough. Piling something delicious high onto a slice of toast is one of the simplest pleasures out there, whatever the weather.

Greek style Tomato Bruschetta (feeds a crowd)

In Greek cooking, you’ll find that recipes often call for dried herbs. While fresh herbs have become deservedly popular in modern home-cooking, we’ve started to come around again to the virtues of the dried variety. It feels like we’re going against everything Jamie Oliver has taught us but they work so well when mixed through some great tomatoes covered in beautiful oil and sharp vinegar.

Ingredients

2 large (or 4 medium) ripe, juicy tomatoes

1 tablespoon of olive or rapeseed oil

½ tablespoon of red wine or balsamic vinegar

A generous pinch of sea salt

A good pinch of pepper

1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs (usually a lovely mix of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and oregano)

Slices of sourdough or your favourite toasty bread

Rapeseed or olive oil, for drizzling

2 cloves of garlic

Method

Chop the tomatoes into small chunks and place in a large bowl.

Add the olive oil and vinegar.

Add the salt, pepper and the dried herbs.

Mix well and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast your sourdough slices.

Drizzle each slice with a little olive oil.

Cut the garlic cloves in half and rub each slice of bread two or three times with the cut side of the garlic.

Top with the tomatoes and serve immediately.

Peas on toast (serves a crowd – great as a canapé)

Peas can be a divisive ingredient – some love ‘em, some hate ‘em. Mashed up with some ricotta, garlic and lemon and they’re transformed into a luscious toast topping. It’s useful to have a food processor for this recipe but you can bash up the peas using a pestle and mortar or a hand-held blender instead. As always, we like to use Toonsbridge Dairy Ricotta from Co Cork (we are OBSESSED) and you can find out more about them at www.therealoliveco.com.

You can add an extra layer of oomph to your canapé platter by topping these little pea toasts with cooked black pudding. We recommend McCarthy’s of Kanturk made in County Cork by Jack McCarthy.

Ingredients (serves a crowd)

250g of frozen peas (broad beans are also amazing)

2 heaped tablespoons of rapeseed or olive oil

4 tablespoons of ricotta

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of ½ a lemon

Zest of ½ a lemon

Salt

Pepper

Slices of sourdough or your favourite toasty bread

Extra ricotta to serve

Fresh mint to garnish

Method

Cook the frozen peas in a pot of simmering water for 3 minutes. Take off the heat, drain and run under cold water to cool.

Once cool, put your peas in a food processor. Add the rapeseed or olive oil and blitz until a nice smooth consistency.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add the 2 heaped tablespoons of ricotta and mix well.

Finely grate the garlic into the mix. (We like to grate garlic into dips as it stops any unpleasant chunks of garlic creeping into our finished dish.)

Add the juice and zest of the ½ lemon.

Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Combine everything with a spoon. Give it a taste and decide if you need a bit more salt, pepper or even an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Toast your bread.

Slather each slice with the pea purée. Top with another bit of ricotta.

Finish with a sprig of fresh mint and serve.