bruschetta w/ asparagus pesto

Last weekend I made a special trip up to my friend Ben's place (pictured below). He'd spotted a recipe for an asparagus pesto in The Times that he wanted to try. They recommended using it over fish, chicken or pasta. However, we decided to make a great little appetizer out of it by using it on traditional bruschetta.  Here's what you'll need:


For the Pesto:

• 1 lb. asparagus
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup parmesan, grated
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Bruschetta:

• 1 loaf Italian bread
• 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
• Chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 giant ball of bufala mozzarella (or any other variety, if you want to be lame), sliced

Begin by combining the tomatoes, basil and olive oil for the bruschetta in a bowl, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Set these aside to marinade.

Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a dash of salt.  Trim the asparagus ends and add to the boiling water, cooking until fully tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain, but be sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid.  Let the asparagus cool slightly.

Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of oil, parmesan, and a couple tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, and gradually add the remaining oil.  Add the lemon juice and salt/pepper and pulse one last time. Set aside

Slice your bread 1/4-1/2" thick.  Place a spoonful of the tomatoes mixture on top of each slice, then cover with mozzarella. Arrange these on a cookie sheet and broil until the cheese begins to melt over the sides.  Remove and let cool.

Place a teaspoon of the asparagus mixture on top of each and serve. This was serious - not lying here - INCREDIBLE! We ate so much, we barely had room for the steaks we made later. Ben actually didn't eat much of his at all, which means I had 1.5 steaks.  In my eyes, that's an even GREATER testament to the awesomeness of these bruschette :)

Bon chappétit!