Fresh artichoke puree, pecorino and fried sage crostini

Babiche Martens

Ingredients

1 to drizzle	Olive oil
1	Crusty baguette (Main)
1 sprinkle	Salt
1 clove	Garlic
4	Artichokes, hearts, see chef's tip on how to prepare below (Main)
3 tsp	Lemon juice
1 tsp	Smoked kelp
1 handful	Pecorino cheese, shaved
12 to garnish	Sage leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Thinly slice the baguette and brush each round with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for about 10 minutes until golden.
2. Puree the artichoke hearts with the garlic, lemon, smoked kelp and enough olive oil to make a smooth puree.
3. Spoon on to the crostini. Shave the pecorino. Heat a small pan and cover with a film of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and cook for about 10 seconds or until crispy, moving and turning them in the pan. Drain on a paper towel. Top the puree with a little pecorino and one or two sage leaves.

Chef's tip

To prepare fresh artichokes trim the stalks to 5cm. Break off the outer leaves until you begin to see a yellow base to the leaves. Using a spoon, remove the fluffy choke in the centre and discard. Keep a lemon handy to rub all the cut surfaces because artichokes discolour very quickly, Then either boil or steam. Once pre-cooked they can also be fried.