This is a high fibre and plant protein 'smash' which can be used in so many ways. As a sourdough topping like I have here, as a dip, or just to dollop on top or on the side of all sorts of meals - salads, with your morning eggs, in the middle of a bowl of soup, stir into a tomatoey sauce or stew to make creamy, or use as a dip like homous situation.
If wanting to make vegan, in place of the ricotta you can use silken tofu.
Here I pour a delicious spiced tarka on top, an Indian cooking technique—often called "tempering" or "blooming"—where whole or ground spices/ herbs/ aromatics are sizzled in hot oil or ghee to release their essential oils and flavours. Curry leaves is one of my favourite flavours and it works so well here.
Makes: approximately enough for two ‘toasts’ as seen in image. I advise making a much bigger batch and using in any of the ways listed above.
Time: 10 minutes
To Gather
For the Smash:
200 g butter beans, sieved and drained ( I opt for Bold Bean Co) or the Sainsbury's organic ones work well too.
2 heaped tbsp ricotta (this could also be subbed for cottage cheese which would be more proteinful!)
Zest of half a lemon
Big squeeze of lemon juice.
A glug of Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch salt, pepper.
For the Tarka:
2 tbsp Ghee (you can use butter instead if you like)
1 pinch mustard seeds
1 pinch fennel seeds
1 big pinch curry leaves (dried or fresh)
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
To serve
Sourdough , Garlic Clove
To Do
Blend the beans
Pop the beans, ricotta, olive oil, lemon & seasoning in a blender/ nutribullet. Blend well to make it smooth or less so if you prefer a little chunky. Alternatively, if you don't want to use a blender, you can simply mash it all together in a bowl well with a fork and a little more labour!
Garlic the toast
Pop sourdough in toaster and when it pops, leave to harden, then rub with garlic. The hardness of the toast will act like a grater for the garlic.
Make the Tarka
When ready to serve, heat a small pan on the hob and put your ghee in. When its hot add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, garlic and the curry leaves. Move around the pan for 30 seconds , be sure not to let the garlic burn, though browned is okay.
Storage
Keep smash in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months if making bigger batch. Ice cube trays are perfect for smaller amounts.
Additions
No recipe is complete without ideating on how you could add even more nourishment to it, so heres a few ideas for what to add to the smash or how to play around with variations once you've made the original recipe to begin with.
A pinch of turmeric / a tbsp chopped chives/ 1-2 sardines/ tsp ground almonds.
0 comments