WHITE ASPARAGUS CROSTINI

Crostini (Italian for “little toasts”) are typically topped with something delicious—in this recipe, ricotta and white asparagus. Sweet-tasting white asparagus is simply green asparagus grown with soil mounded around the stalks, shielding them from the sun. The result? Asparagus with little or no green-producing chlorophyll.

1 baguette or similar long, thin bread loaf

12 spears white asparagus

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 tablespoons sheep’s milk ricotta

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the baguette on the diagonal into ½-inch slices. Snap off the woody parts of the asparagus spears.

2. Toast the bread in the oven for about 10 minutes, taking care not to let it grow too dark. In the meantime, fill a skillet or saucepan with 2 inches water and bring it to a boil.

3. Add the asparagus to the boiling water, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes until tender. Remove the spears from the pan and place them on paper towels to drain.

4. Cut off the asparagus tips (reserve the stems for another use). Drizzle the tips with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Arrange the toasts on a platter. Top each toast with a tablespoon of ricotta and two asparagus tips, and serve. Makes 6.