Green vegetables with bacon
- 6 slices of ciabatta or baguette from the previous day
- 1 large, halved clove of garlic
- 200 g Ricotta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a few drops of lemon juice
- Salt
- 1 tsp pink peppercorns
- 6 leaves of sorrel
- 150g sliced pancetta
- 500g fresh, broad beans in the pod
- Salt
- 500 g fresh peas in the pod
- 2 small romaine lettuces (300g)
- 150g thin, green asparagus
- 3 spring onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons dry white vermouth
- 50 ml white wine
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- Bake bread slices in a preheated oven at 200°C on a wire rack until golden brown. Let cool, then rub one side with garlic.
- Mix the ricotta in a bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and a little salt until smooth.
- To serve, spread the crostini with ricotta and scatter a few pink peppercorns on top, then arrange them on a platter. Finely slice the sorrel leaves and sprinkle them over the top.
- Stack the pancetta slices on top of each other and place them on a plate in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Shell the beans and blanch them in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let them drain again. Remove the beans from their skins and set the beans aside.
- Remove the peas from their pods and blanch them in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside.
- Halve one head of lettuce lengthwise and wash briefly. Drain well. Clean and wash the second head of lettuce and cut into bite-sized pieces. Trim the woody ends off the asparagus spears. Clean the spring onions and cut into approximately 1 cm pieces. Peel the garlic clove and slice thinly.
- Place a large, heavy frying pan on the stove and heat it. Cut the pancetta into pieces about 1.5 cm in size and then separate them slightly. Add the pancetta and olive oil to the pan and, stirring frequently, render the fat over medium-high heat until crispy. Strain the pan through a sieve and collect the rendered fat.
- Wipe out the pan and reheat the collected fat in it. Fry the lettuce halves in it for about 30 seconds on each side, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Add the asparagus to the pan, briefly fry it vigorously, season it and set it aside.
- Add the peas, broad beans, and spring onions to the pan and sauté over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and sauté for 45 seconds. Deglaze with vermouth and white wine. Pour in the stock. Return the asparagus to the pan. Cover and cook for 3–4 minutes until tender-crisp. Add the chopped salad to the pan and simmer gently for another 1–2 minutes.
- Before serving, add the bacon and fried lettuce halves to warm through. Season with salt and pepper and arrange everything decoratively on plates. Serve with ricotta crostini.
1. Rub the crisply baked and slightly cooled bread with a peeled garlic clove. This is quick, saves a lot of fat, and gives the croutons a wonderfully aromatic flavor. If you prefer a milder flavor, spread the croutons very thinly with herb butter.
2. Pancetta is unsmoked Italian bacon and, as such, somewhat more adaptable than regular German bacon. However, it can also be used if pancetta is unavailable. Ask the butcher to slice it for you when you buy it; this will make slicing easier later.
Tip: Let it freeze slightly before cutting, so it can be cut into perfect squares with a sharp knife.
3. It takes a little while for the pancetta to render until really crispy, releasing a lot of fat in the process. Very important: constant stirring guarantees even browning and prevents anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Only when the bacon is completely cooked will it remain pleasantly crispy even after cooling.
Wine recommendation from Johannes Schell-Horn and Willi Schlögl from the Bar Freundschaft, Berlin
Oliver's kitchen tip
The true sorrel season is usually quite short, and the herb is often not a permanent fixture in stores. It's best to order this slightly tart herb in advance from your greengrocer or market stall. If sorrel is absolutely unavailable, you can also flavor the croutons with freshly grated organic lemon zest.
Tanja's Styling Tips
To make the vibrant green of the fresh vegetables stand out even more, a light-colored table setting is ideal. Plates without rims and simple cutlery underscore the understated elegance of this summery main course. A small plate placed under the croutons subtly echoes the green theme.
