BURICOTTA WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES, PINE NUTS, CURRANTS, AND MINT PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the pine nuts, garlic, salt, and half of the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or the jar of a blender. Add the parsley and pulse until it is finely chopped. Turn off the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the mint, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the remaining olive oil and purée, stopping as soon as the ingredients form a homogenous paste, and adding more olive oil if necessary to obtain a loose, spoonable pesto. (You want to stop the machine as soon as you achieve the desired consistency, as the blade will heat the garlic and give it a bitter flavor. Also, overprocessing the pesto will incorporate too much air, making the pesto fluffy and too smooth.) Turn the pesto out into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. Use the pesto or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days-any longer and it will lose its pretty green color and vibrant flavor. Bring the pesto to room temperature, stir to recombine the ingredients, and taste again for seasoning before serving.
• To assemble, lay the crostini oiled side up on your work surface. If you are using ricotta, place it in a medium bowl and stir vigorously with a spoon to fluff it up. Lay 1 slice of buricotta, or spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta in an uneven layer on each crostino, leaving the edges of the bread visible. Season the buricotta or ricotta with salt and spoon 1 teaspoon of pesto on top. Cut off the long stems from the braised artichokes, leaving 1/2 inch of stem on each and reserving the stems to snack on. Open up the artichokes like a flower, and set 1 artichoke on top of each crostino, sticking the stems into the buricotta like stakes to secure them. Season the artichokes with salt and spoon 1 teaspoon of relish over each artichoke. Sprinkle each crostino with 1/2 teaspoon of the bread crumbs if you are using them, and serve.
• Suggested Wine Pairing
• Malvasia di Cagliari Secco (Sardinia)