Whipped Ricotta, Honey-roasted Butternut Squash, and Crispy Sage Bruschetta
A mouthwatering simple and charming dish packed with goodness and seasonal flavor.
Servings 4 as a starter or a side, 2 as main
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
For the bruschetta:
- 4 slices of country bread (or 1/2 baguette) sliced 1 - 1/2 inches thick
- 1 large clove of garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the whipped ricotta:
- 1 - 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta
- 1/2 cups feta cheese
- 3 tbsp natural greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch white pepper
For the topping:
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 1 tbsp acacia honey
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- A bunch of fresh sage leaves, approximately 1oz, without stems, washed and very carefully dried
- Extra 2tbsp olive oil for cooking the sage leaves.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Peel, seed, and cut the butternut squash into 1/2-inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss the squash with the EVO oil and the acacia honey. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until squash is golden and tender, 25-30 minutes.
- In the meantime, put the ricotta, feta, yogurt, oil, zest, and juice of lemon, nutmeg, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add sage leaves and cook until edges begin to curl and turn dark green, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Place the bread slices out on a sheet pan and brush each with a little EVO oil. Grill until they are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Flip them halfway through.
- Spread the ricotta mixture over the grilled bread slices. Add a spoonful of the roasted butternut squash and top each slice with a few crispy sage leaves. Serve immediately.