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Bluestem's Crostini with Prosciutto and Hot and Sweet Cipollini
[Photograph: Bonjwing Lee]
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Bluestem: The Cookbook to give away this week.
At Kansas City's Bluestem, these hearty Crostini with Prosciutto and Hot and Sweet Cipollini are served as a first course but we're liking them as a lunch. Adapted from Bluestem fennel and sweet cipollini onions are cooked down with white wine, orange juice, and sherry vinegar to make a tart, savory jam that's perfect for spooning on slices of crusty grilled bread.
Topping the crostini with salty slices of prosciutto gives these crostini a sandwich-like feel making them a great option for an inspired midday meal.
Why you should make this: The slow-cooked cipollini and fennel jam is downright addictive on its own. We could easily see it as everything from a sandwich spread to a sauce for seafood.
Next time we might think about: Swapping out the prosciutto for a creamy, mild cheese. We have a sneaking suspicion that burrata would be right at home on these crostini.
Adapted from Bluestem by Colby Garrelts and Megan Garrelts. Copyright © 2011. Published by Andrews McMeel. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.
Bluestem's Crostini with Prosciutto and Hot and Sweet Cipollini
About This Recipe
| Yield: | Serves 4 |
| Active time: | 30 minutes |
| Total time: | 30 minutes |
| This recipe appears in: | Cook the Book: 'Bluestem: The Cookbook' |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 8 cipollini onions, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- Juice of 2 oranges
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 12 drops mustard essence
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 thick slices rustic bread
- 4 ounces sliced prosciutto
Procedures
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1
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and onions and sauté until browned, stirring to get an even coloring, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, wine, juice, vinegar, and sugar. Simmer and reduce for 5 minutes, just to soften the onions. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mustard essence. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
-
2
Brush the extra-virgin olive oil over both sides of each slice of bread. Toast the bread in a skillet over mediumhigh heat until just golden brown. Season with a bit of salt.
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3
To serve, put a slice of toasted bread on each of 4 plates. Top each slice with some prosciutto and the fennel and cipollini mixture. Serve immediately.
