Date Archives October 2022

Pea, broad bean & Nduja toasts

T

his is a cheeky canapé with a spicy punch of Nduja! With the zesty fresh peas, its a stunning match!

The recipe really is just guess work I’m afraid so you’re going to have to taste as you go to get a good balance. Simple flavours are balanced with a kick from either the lemon or Parmesan so add either accordingly and season well.

Bread options and sizes are endless so I’ve been purposefully vague. This doesn’t even have to be a canapé. It would make an amazing starter/lunch or even breakfast with some eggs. Scale up and experiment with the toppings. If you’re not into Nduja, try crumbled chorizo, black pudding, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled feta/burrata…the options are endless.

  • 250g frozen peas
  • 100g frozen broad beans (Optional, use extra peas if you like)
  • 1 lemon – zest and juice of 1/2
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • Parmesan cheese – 1/2 large handfuls grated finely
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Handful mint/basil (don’t go overboard here).
  • Bread – any you like. I used a small stone baked baguette cut into rounds.
  • Nduja – fresh or paste or any of the topping suggested above.
  1. Defrost your peas & broad beans in some boiling water and drain (do this separately if using so you can depod the broad beans).
  2. Cool the broad beans in cold water then pinch them out of their skins, discarding these and adding the fresh green bean to the peas.
  3. Put peas, beans, 1 garlic clove, lemon zest, juice of 1/2 lemon, mint/basil leaves and lots of salt and pepper into a food processor. (*You can also bash this all together in a big pestle and mortar if you like).
  4. Pulse until everything is roughly chopped together.
  5. Add the parmesan and a good few glugs of olive oil. Blend until well combined.
  6. Tasting as you go is important here. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon/cheese/salt and pepper or oil to help bring the texture together.
  7. Cut your bread however you like and toast/grill until warm and golden. Take you remaining garlic clove and slice it in half lengthways. Rub the cut side over your the warm toasts.
  8. I used fresh nduja so I heated this in a hot frying pan to help warm the spices first before serving but this is optional.
  9. Spoon some crushed peas onto your toast rounds and top with some nduja.