These Roasted Banana Pepper Chèvre Pesto Crostini are the perfect fall appetizer. They are a delightful appetizer that is extremely flavorful and warming to soul. They have a subtle hotness from the peppers and an overall heartiness. They consist of pesto, crumbled chèvre cheese, fresh banana peppers, toasted walnuts and pea shoots.
I have an interesting synchronicity story I want to share! The story is hard to prove but I believe it is real. I first discovered Vans tennis shoes when I was around nine years old and became pretty obsessed with them. I loved the idea that you could create your own customized color combinations. My first pair was custom red and blue two-toned combination. My right shoe had a red toe and heel with a blue center and my left shoe had the reverse with a red center and blue toe and heal. I thought they were the coolest things ever. I was living in Playa Del Ray California at the time and was playing at a park near my house when I saw a boy a few years older than me wearing Vans. He had a two-toned yellow and green on one foot and a two-toned red and blue on the other foot. I was completely blown away. I had never seen anything like it.
A few years ago, Robbie and I were reminiscing about our first pair of Vans. He told me about a time when he was around 11 where he bought a red and blue two-toned pair and his friend Eric bought a green and yellow two-toned pair. He said they traded one of the shoes because they had the same size foot and thought it was funny. My jaw dropped. I asked him if he remembered going to the park in Playa Del Rey around that time and he did! I realized it had to be him!
Back in those days you never saw anyone wearing miss-matched shoes. This coupled with the fact that he has dark brown hair and is a couple years older than me made me realize it was Robby! How crazy is that? I love the synchronicity of this story! Do you have any stories like this of your own?
I love a crisp dry Riesling with these appetizers. They are also delicious with a sparkling wine.
Roasted Banana Pepper Pesto Crostini Recipe:
Ingredients
Pesto
- 8 - 10 Hungarian Banana Peppers
- 1 Cup Raw Walnuts
- 4 Oz. Chèvre Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Toasted Walnuts
- 1 Cup Raw Walnuts
Crostini
- Approx. 12 Slices Italian Ciabatta or French Bread
- Approx. 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garnish
- Toasted Walnuts
- Crumbled Chèvre - to taste
- Pea Shoots - to taste
- 2 - 3 Hungarian Banana Peppers - diced
Instructions
Peppers
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Wash the peppers then line them in the center of a baking sheet.
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Turn the oven onto broil and place the baking sheet on top shelf of the oven and broil for 4 – 5 minutes.
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Flip over and broil 3 – 4 minutes until they are well charred.
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Peel off the skin with a paper towel by rubbing off the charred skin, cut off the stem then cut in half and deseed.
Pesto
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Add the peppers to a food processor or blender along with all the other ingredients and puree until smooth.
Toasted Walnuts
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Spread the walnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Place the walnuts on the middle rack and toast until they start to brown and smell toasted about 7 to 10 minutes.
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Make sure and check them frequently so they don’t burn. Make sure to cool completely.
Crostini
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Slice the bread into 1/4 inch slices.
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Place slices on to a baking sheet and coat both sides with olive oil.
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Place on the top shelf of the oven and broil for 1 – 2 minutes then flip them over and broil for about 1 more minute.
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Make sure and watch close, they can burn fast.
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I usually put a timer on for 1 minute and check them, then put the timer on for 1 more minute while watching.
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They cook faster on the second side because they are already hot.
Assemble
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Spread on a layer of pesto and sprinkle on the cheese, walnuts, peppers and pea shoots.
