Chef Carrie McCabe-Johnston of Nightingale kindly shared the recipe for her ricotta bruschetta with seeds, nuts and mint. The dish takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is an impressive way to start a meal. Any extra dukkah will last up to a week in the fridge and is delicious tossed with roasted vegetables or turned into a salad dressing by adding a bit of vinegar. All the ingredients for the dukkah can be easily found in The Wedge’s bulk section. If you’ve never bought bulk, this would be an excellent excuse to try it out!
Ingredients
For the dukkah
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
- 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
- ½ Tbsp. cumin seeds
- ½ Tbsp. ground paprika
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt (to taste)
For the bruschetta
- homemade ricotta (see DIY Ricotta for instructions)
- bread of your choice
- fresh mint
Preparation
1. Toast hazelnuts and sesame seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until they start to brown. Be careful to not let them burn. Remove from heat and let cool. Throw in a food processor and roughly chop a few times. The hazelnuts should still have some chunks, not be a smooth paste.
2. Toast the cumin, peppercorns, fennel and coriander in a saucepan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until aromatic but not browned. Remove from heat and grind in a spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.
3. Combine the hazelnuts and sesame seeds with the spice mixture, the paprika and the olive oil. Stir to thoroughly combine. Add salt to taste.
4. Slice and toast bread.
5. Spread ricotta on bread in a thick layer. Spoon the spice mix over the top. Chop the mint thinly and sprinkle over the top.
