Shrimp-onion Crostini With Almond-parsley Pesto

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb shrimp, i used pre-cooked but fresh is fine
• 1/2 loaf italian bread, day old is fine
• plenty olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 green onion
• 4 grape tomatoes or 1 tomato
• fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon extra-light vegetable oil spread
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 make the pesto (this can be done ahead): stick a palmful of almonds, a small handful of parsley, and a heart attack-inducing amount of salt in a food processer until it's nice and crumbly (don't worry about the salt, the pesto will be eaten in small portions!) beat together about a tablespoon of softened butter with a couple glugs of olive oil until the butter floats around in little clumps. mix oil mixture and almond/parsley mixture together and add freshly ground pepper. taste it because it probably needs more salt, then plastic-wrap your container and put it in the fridge for later or continue the recipe.
• 2 preheat the broiler.
• 3 if you're using fresh shrimp, shell and take the yucky stuff out, butterfly, then cook, saute, or grill with olive oil and black pepper. if using pre-cooked shrimp, thaw.
• 4 thinly slice the onion, and preserve the circle shape while saute-ing gently in oil just until tender, ~5 minutes.
• 5 slice the bread 1-1.5 inches thick and lay out on an ungreased baking sheet. brush with olive oil.
• 6 thinly slice tomatoes, cover each crostini with one layer (either one slice from a big tomato or three slices from a grape tomato).
• 7 place a slice of the onion on top of each tomato, lay one (jumbo) or two (small) shrimp on top of the onion. sprinkle chopped green onion over the tops.
• 8 broil until the bread is nice and toasty, about 10 minutes.
• 9 spoon a small amount of pesto onto each crostini, and serve.
• 10 for bonus points, sprinkle with mozerella cheese!