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This Nutritious Spin On Avocado Toast Is Packed With So Much Flavor

Author:

Gesine Bullock-Prado

September 15, 2024

Chef

By Gesine Bullock-Prado

Chef

Gesine Bullock-Prado is a pastry chef, instructor, and author of six books. She is the host of Food Network’s Baked in Vermont and has appeared as a judge on several Food Network competitions. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont.

Image by Raymond Prado

September 15, 2024

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Who needs expensive avocado when a schmear of fresh pea spread is waiting for you?

In the spring, I cannot get my hands in the ground fast enough to plant spring peas and radishes. They grow beautifully (and quickly) in the chilly spring air and are ready to eat by the time the first few stalks of asparagus start to peek out of the ground.

If you don't grow asparagus and you live in a climate that's amenable to it, I highly recommend reserving a plot of your garden for it. You plant it once and it keeps on giving for years to come. Just make sure the area is very well weeded. Asparagus hates competition.

The first year, it's best to let the asparagus grow out and flower into its lovely, reedy maturity without harvesting any. This will ensure bountiful crops in the years to come. It's a small price to pay for a veggie that grows each year without much work on your part (weeding aside).

Once the spears are 5 to 6 inches high, cut them with a sharp foraging knife and eat them immediately. This is when the spears are at their ultimate sweetness and tastiness.

If you've never tasted asparagus straight from the garden, you really haven't tasted asparagus!

Shaved Asparagus Toasts With Spring Pea Spread & Radishes

Serves 4

Fresh pea spread:

¾ cup water
3 cups fresh spring peas (you can use frozen)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup roasted pine nuts
1 cup finely grated aged Vermont Cheddar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Asparagus:

12 spears asparagus (about 1 pound)

To finish:

4 slices Vermont sourdough, lightly toasted
2 radishes, finely sliced into rounds
2 ounces herbed goat cheese (I use Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese Herb Chevre)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute (2 minutes if you're using frozen). Immediately drain and transfer to a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid for the puree. Add the lemon zest and juice and pulse, adding a tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid at a time, if needed, to create a spreadable puree. Add the pine nuts and pulse a few times to combine, then add the cheese and olive oil. Pulse just to combine and add more cooking liquid to make a spreadable paste. Season with salt to taste.
Make the asparagus. Fill a large stockpot with water and generously salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, slice thin strips of asparagus lengthwise. Transfer the strips, all at once, to the simmering water and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and immediately transfer the asparagus strips to the ice water to cool down and stop the cooking.
To finish, spread each toast with about ¼ cup of pea spread. Divide the blanched asparagus strips among the toasts and sprinkle the toasts with radish rounds. Finish with a pinch of salt and some crumbled goat cheese, and drizzle with olive oil.