Crostini with Favas & Mint

I like to use a baguette or other long, narrow loaf for crostini, and I think a sturdier, Italian-style crust works better than the crispy ones found on bread made with fast-rising flour. Slice the bread thinly, brush lightly with olive oil, spread on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven at 350 until it just starts to brown, about 15 minutes.

You can use these crostini with all kinds of toppings, but when fresh fava beans are available I make this spread. You'll need a couple of pounds of favas to end up with about 2 cups of shelled beans (shell, parboil, and peel the beans following the general directions for fava beans).

Combine the favas in a food processor with several cloves of garlic, about a cup of fresh mint leaves, a tablespoon of good wine vinegar, a bit of salt, and a quarter cup or so of your best extra virgin olive oil. Process until smooth, taste and add more salt if necessary, and process again briefly. You may need to add a little more oil to make it smoother, but a coarse puree taste just as good.

Spread on the crostini as an antipasto.