Mortadella, Whipped Ricotta & Aubergine Crostini

Up until a few years ago, I had never tasted Mortadella. Competing with prosciutto, porchetta, capocollo, and a whole host of beautiful meats, it always slipped under the radar. A little spam-like in appearance with big blobs of white fat, it was never much of an eye-catcher.

However, things all changed whilst in Bologna. Out came a board with the most wafer-thin slices of mortadella and the much-undiscussed squacquerone cheese, stuffed into and oozing out of a freshly warm and doughy tigelle.

Offer me mortadella now, and, cut-it-right, you'll be able to make out my beaming face behind it.

🐷 Makes 4 crostini

• jar roasted aubergine meze (I used 'Belazu')

• jar truffle & artichoke pesto ('Belazu' again)

• crema di parmigiano: 125g ricotta & 50g of grated parmesan

• 2 slices mortadella (1/2 slice per crostino)

• thyme (to garnish)

1. Grate your parmesan and place it into a bowl with the ricotta.

2. Whip them together with a fork, and put to the side.

3. Toast your crostini and give them a rub of raw garlic.

4. Dollop a tsp of aubergine meze onto each crostino, and smooth out.

5. Onto the top of that, ½ tsp of truffle & artichoke pesto.

5. Halve your slices of mortadella and fold onto one side of the crostini.

6. Teaspoon your ‘crema di parmigiano’ onto the other side.

7. Decorate with sprigs of thyme, and Bob's your uncle.