Ricotta crostini with roasted fennel

Ingredients

Crostini

• 1 good quality baguette
  
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  

Crostini Topping

• 1 bulb of fennel
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  
• 1 splash aged sherry vinegar
  
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
  
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 6 sage leaves
  
• 6 slices best quality peppered salami, cut in shapes to fit on your crostini
  

Directions

Crostini

1. Preheat your broiler and move an oven rack to the top position.
2. Slice the baguette diagonally to get a larger piece of bread.
3. Using a kitchen brush, brush each side of the crostini with extra virgin olive oil.
4. Sprinkle each side of the crostini with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Place the crostini on a broiler rack and broil one to two minutes per side. The crostini should be crispy but not too hard.
6. Set the crostini aside for later assembly!

Crostini Topping

1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. Remove the fronds and core from the fennel bulb and roughly chop.
3. Toss the chopped fennel with the 2 T extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Place the fennel on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so to ensure the fennel does not burn. Remove from oven and put in a bowl with a splash of sherry vinegar (not too much!)
5. Mix the lemon zest into the ricotta. Set aside.
6. Put the 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a small skillet.
7. Cook the sage leaves in the hot oil for approximately one minute, until crisp but not brown.
8. Transfer the sage leave a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with salt.
9. Slice the salami in half, placing each half lengthwise on the crostini. Slather the salami with 2 tablespoons or so of ricotta, depending on the size of your slice. Top the ricotta with 1 to 2 tablespoons of roasted fennel. Top the entire crostini with a fried sage leaf.