Roasted Fennel, Salami and Ricotta Crostini

These roasted fennel, salami, and ricotta crostini are so easy to make and utterly good. Make these for a delightful Springtime lunch out in the garden.

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We hope you had a great weekend? It was glorious sunshine here in Tuscany with crystal clear blue skies all weekend, it got us excited for Springtime.

Spring is such a wonderful season in Italy, especially in the Siena countryside. The temperature is lovely and warm, suited to long walks and picnics outside before the fierce summer heat approaches.

This weekend we went a lovely walk in a small hillside town not too far away from us. We walked along the windy roads lined with cypress trees with the most beautiful countryside views, it was postcard solid with the rolling Tuscan hills and traditional farm houses.

After that long relaxing walk we had worked up quite an appetite and luckily we had all the ingredients in the fridge to make these yummy roasted fennel, salami and ricotta crostini.

We first made these crostini at New Year as part of our party spread. It was the case of using up bits and pieces in the fridge and they turned out fantastic. That's what's so great about crostini, they are a brilliant way of using up any leftover cured meats, cheeses or vegetables you have in your fridge.

Fennel and salami is always such a solid combination and the roasted fennel here gives such a gorgeous flavour to the good salami and creamy ricotta cheese.

One thing that we always do when making is crostini is drizzle the ciabatta bread in a little olive oil then place it on a griddle pan to toast each slice. This gives the bread a lovely charring and a good, smokey flavour.

These are suited to enjoying outdoors in the garden for a light lunch or even as part of a picnic. We think our favourite thing to do in Springtime is to go for a picnic on a warm weekend day with some simple food, a little vino and soak up some sun.

We hope you enjoyed today's post, see you Wednesday!

Ingredients

Makes 6 people

• 1 ciabatta loaf
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 5.3 oz (150g) Salami Milano ((1 slice for each crostino))
• 1 cup (250g) Ricotta (good quality)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to season)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F/gas mark 4. Thinly slice the fennel bulb, removing the stalks (keep the fronds for garnish) and place on a baking tray. Season with a little salt and pepper and drizzle over a tsp of olive oil, toss to coat in the oil and roast for around 20 minutes until tender.

2. Slice the ciabatta then drizzle each side with a little olive oil and then toast each side on a hot griddle pan. Once the ciabatta is toasted and charred on each side, sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

3. Top each slice of bread with a small spoon of ricotta, a slice of salami and a slice of fennel. Garnish with the leftover fennel fronds.