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Mizuna And Walnut Pesto Crostini

5 crostini (little toast) with green pesto and parmesan sprinkled on the top. Garnished with lemon zest. On a white plate
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EatSimpleFood.com

This fresh mizuna and walnut pesto recipe is perfect on crostini's (little toast) with a pinch of garlic and extra parmesan and some lemon zest to jazz it up.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Ingredient List Crostini:

  • 1 large baguette, sliced 1/4" thick on the diagonal
  • e.v. olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese - for garnish

Ingredient List Pesto:

  • 1 cup walnuts, toasted
  • 4 cups (~ 6 ounces) Mizuna -substitute arugula if you can't find Mizuna
  • 1/2 cup e.v. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, minced & sauteed
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Line a sheet with aluminum foil and toast 1 cup Walnuts (any nut will work if you don't have walnuts) at 350F for ~ 6-8 minutes uncovered.  The nuts should be fragrant and hot when you take them out of the oven.  Set aside to cool. Keep aluminum on tray to toast the bread
  • Slice one large baguette on the diagonal (you should get ~30-35 pieces).   Baste each side of every slice with a little e.v. olive oil.  Lightly sea salt and pepper one or both sides.  Bake at 350F ~ 8- 10 minutes uncovered.  You want these guys to be crispy but not burnt.  Some people say toast until golden, but they've gone too long if they start changing to a darker color.  After all, you want the roof of your mouth to stay intact!
  • Bring a pan to medium high heat and add the garlic.  Cook ~ 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Zest 2 large lemons.  Set zest aside and juice lemons.
  • Make the pesto:  In a food processor add: walnuts, Mizuna, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese (reserving the rest for garnish), garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper.  Slowly add in the olive oil while "whizzing" it up.  Substitute or add a little water if you want a thinner consistency or are trying to cut down on the oil.  Add sea salt and e.v. olive oil to taste to the pesto, but remember that the crostini have salt on them already.
  • Spread the pesto over the crostini and top with a touch of grated Parmesan Cheese and lemon zest.  Happy Eating!  Beckie

Notes

  • You can make the crostini up to one day ahead of time and store in a ziploc bag overnight.
  • Can't find mizuna?  Use Arugula instead.
  • Cutting on the diagonal will give you more surface area for the topping (plus look cooler!)
  • Don't want to dirty a pan just for garlic?  Skip cooking the garlic and use it in the pesto raw.