Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

CROSTINI

RICOTTA, HONEY, AND PINE NUT CROSTINI

BEET, GOAT CHEESE, AND PISTACHIO CROSTINI

MUSHROOM AND FONTINA CROSTINI

GORGONZOLA, ROASTED PEPPER, AND BALSAMIC GLAZE CROSTINI

SAUSAGE, STRACCHINO, AND RADICCHIO CROSTINI

TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND SPICY SALAME BRUSCHETTA

Give me a piece of bread, a slice of prosciutto, and a glass of red wine, and I am the happiest man in the world. And here starts the story of crostini: toasted bread dressed up in as many different ways as you can. Crostini is what we eat in Italy when we stop at the bar to have a glass of wine before lunch, a predinner aperitivo, or whenever we feel like having a drink and something to nibble.

A classic crostini is made with a slice of prosciutto or other meat. Italy has a huge tradition of cold cuts, commonly called Italian antipasto here in the States but known as salumi in Italy. In Italy, our meats are typically prepared on a small scale by farmers who may have a few pigs to spare, and they are shared with family and friends. I always favor meats made locally using the traditional, classic, home-style methods. You won't find these meats in a typical grocery store in the States, but if you live somewhere near an Italian-American community, I am sure you can find an old-school butcher who still makes sopressa, salame, or lardo, just like in Italy.

When you're at the butcher, ask him to cut the meat into paper-thin slices, then buy a long French baguette. When you get home, turn the oven to 375°F (190°C), cut the bread into ½-inch (12-mm) slices, place them on a baking sheet, and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden and crispy. While they are still warm, lay a slice or two of prosciutto or salame or whatever meat you bought over the bread, and there you have it: the most traditional and classic Italian crostini. Then, if you want to take your crostini to another level, read on and try out the recipes in this chapter. The next time you have a get together at your place, you will blow your friends away with these crostini!

RICOTTA, HONEY, AND PINE NUT CROSTINI

Ricotta, Miele, e Pinoli Crostini

Ten years ago, back in Italy, you'd often find me nibbling on ricotta-and-honey crostini at a favorite wine bar in the city of Porcia, where the little bites could be had for just one euro. They fell out of my routine after I moved to the States, until one evening when we were reunited at the bar of a West Village restaurant as I waited for my table. This is my version, elevated with homemade ricotta and a sprinkling of pine nuts for a little extra crunch.

There's nothing that compares to the freshness of homemade ricotta, and it's surprisingly easy to make yourself — no Master Chef training required! Just be sure you get the milk to the right temperature and add the correct amount of acidity, and you'll be good to go. See the opposite page for my simple recipe if you'd like to give it a try. I make my ricotta unsalted so I can season it just before serving; I use a fairly heavy hand with the seasoning for a salty ricotta to contrast with the sweet drizzle of honey that tops this crostini. Have fun experimenting with different varieties of honey — my favorites are dark, smoky chestnut honey, and truffle honey; any local honey is going to be fantastic on your crostini.

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

2 tablespoons pine nuts

5 tablespoons (75 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (240 g) ricotta cheese, homemade (opposite page) or good-quality store-bought

2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh chives

About 8 teaspoons (40 ml) pourable honey

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool. Leave the oven on.

Place the pine nuts in a small bowl. Add a quick drizzle of olive oil and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange the nuts on the baking sheet you used to toast the bread and toast them in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until light golden brown. Watch them carefully, as they can go from golden to burned in a heartbeat.

Place the cheese in a medium bowl, add the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon. (Don't whisk, and don't go too crazy with the mixing; otherwise the fat might start to separate.)

Mound about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each slice of bread and scatter some nuts on top. Finish with the honey, drizzling about 1 teaspoon over each slice.

BEET, GOAT CHEESE, AND PISTACHIO CROSTINI

Barbabietole, Caprino, e Pistacchi Crostini

Beets and goat cheese is one of my favorite combinations ever, and because crostini are one of my favorite foods to eat, you'll often find a beet-and-goat-cheese crostini being passed around at dinner parties in my apartment in Astoria, Queens. I also like this crostini because it features the colors of the Italian flag!

Caprino, or goat cheese, is made from whole or skim goat's milk. It takes its name from the Italian word for goat, capra. For this recipe, I like to use a fresh caprino that's aged for just three or four days and has a soft, creamy texture, but an aged goat cheese that is still spreadable would also be a good choice. Between the creaminess of the cheese, the sweetness of the beets, and the saltiness and crunch of the pistachios, this little bite covers multiple flavor and texture bases. If this recipe gets you craving more of this very Italian combination, see this page for my Beet and Goat Cheese Risotto.

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

¼ cup (30 g) shelled unsalted pistachios

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 red beet, scrubbed

¾ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

5 fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced

½ cup (4 ounces/115 g) soft fresh goat cheese

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool. Leave the oven on.

Place the nuts in a small bowl. Toss them with a quick drizzle of oil and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange the nuts on the baking sheet you used for the bread and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer to a small plate to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Roughly chop the cooled nuts.

Wrap the beet in foil, place it on a baking sheet, and roast for about 45 minutes, until cooked through. To check if it is ready, insert a skewer; if it goes in without resistance, the beet is done. Let cool, then remove the beet from the foil and peel off the skin, using your fingers. Cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) cubes and place them in a bowl. Add the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the nuts and mint. (You can prepare the beets a day ahead, adding the nuts and mint just before serving.)

Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese on each slice of bread and top each with some of the beets.

LUCA'S TIPS: When you're peeling the beet, you might want to put on disposable gloves, as beets can color your hands red.

If you are also making the Gorgonzola, Roasted Pepper, and Balsamic Glaze Crostini (this page), you can make good use of your oven by roasting the peppers for that recipe at the same time.

MUSHROOM AND FONTINA CROSTINI

Funghi e Fontina Crostini

I got the idea for these crostini from Chef Max Convertini of Zio Ristorante in the Flatiron District of Manhattan; he's someone I've gone to again and again over the years for cooking advice. And more than that, he is a very close and generous friend; when I got married, as a gift to my wife, Cate, and me, he cooked an amazing meal for the 130 people at the reception.

You can use any type of mushroom you like for these crostini; I pan sear the mushrooms in a garlic-flavored olive oil for pumped-up flavor and top them with fontina, an Italian cow's-milk cheese made in the Valle d'Aosta region in northwest Italy. Aged fontina, which has a firmer texture than young fontina, is what I recommend.

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

5 ounces (140 g) small mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced ½ inch (12 mm) thick (see Sidebar, opposite page)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, halved

8 (1/8-inch-/3-mm-thick) slices aged fontina cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces/40 g total)

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes, until just golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C).

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until screaming hot. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook, without moving the mushrooms, for 3 minutes. Stir in the thyme, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, stirring often, until the mushrooms are well browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

Rub the cut sides of the garlic cloves over the bread slices, then brush the bread with oil and return them to the baking pan. Divide the mushrooms among the bread slices and top each with a slice of the cheese. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

LUCA'S TIP: Adding the salt to the mushrooms when they first hit the pan acts to draw their liquid out, leaving them moist inside while they crisp up on the outside.

GORGONZOLA, ROASTED PEPPER, AND BALSAMIC GLAZE CROSTINI

Gorgonzola, Peperoni Arrosto, e Balsamico

For this recipe, you can buy a jar of marinated roasted bell peppers, but I think it's way cooler if you roast them yourself, and here I'm going to teach you how. I'll also show you how to make your own balsamic glaze; these two techniques will up your Italian cooking skills with little effort!

Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese made from whole cow's milk; its flavor is pungent and assertive, and its aroma is strong. It takes its name from the city of Gorgonzola, near Milan, where it was first produced. There are two different kinds of Gorgonzola: Gorgonzola dolce (sweet Gorgonzola) and Gorgonzola piccante, which is drier and aged longer than dolce. Since it's an intensely flavored cheese, I leave it up to you and your guests to decide how much to spread on your bread. (The original recipe, from a bar where I used to work back in Italy, used mozzarella, but I thought it was way too heavy.) Use less for milder tastes, more for those who like bold flavors; those flavors will get even bolder when drizzled with the deep, dark, slightly sweet balsamic glaze. A glass of red wine is the perfect companion to this crostini.

2 yellow bell peppers

2 red bell peppers

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

6 garlic cloves, peeled

10 fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

1/3 to ½ cup (2 to 3 ounces/60 to 85 g) Gorgonzola

About 8 teaspoons (40 ml) Balsamic Glaze (this page)

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Place the bell peppers on the baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes, turning them with tongs every 15 minutes. The skins will be burned, but don't worry; that's how we want them. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool.

When cool enough to handle and working with one pepper at a time, peel and discard the blackened skin using your fingers or a paper towel. It will take some time, but you'll be happy with the end result. Remove the seeds and membranes. Cut the peppers into ½-inch (12-mm) slices and place them in a medium bowl.

Add the oil, 4 of the smashed garlic cloves, and the basil and season with salt and black pepper. It may look like you're using a lot of oil, but it's OK — this is not a dressing but a marinade. Cover and marinate the peppers in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, better, overnight.

When you are ready to make the crostini, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast the bread in the oven for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool. Cut the remaining 2 garlic cloves in half. Rub the cut sides of the garlic on the bread slices, and brush the bread with oil.

Spread the cheese on the bread slices. Arrange the bell pepper mixture over the cheese, alternating colors to up your presentation. Drizzle each with about 1 teaspoon of the balsamic glaze.

SAUSAGE, STRACCHINO, AND RADICCHIO CROSTINI

Salsiccia, Stracchino, e Radicchio Crostini

Crostini are something to nibble on while you have a glass of wine and talk to friends — no big technical concept. It's simple food, and in my house, sausage, Stracchino cheese, and radicchio were never missing from my mother's kitchen, so it was only natural to make crostini with these three ingredients. I enjoyed a version of it at a wine bar called La Curandera in Porcia, Italy, where the sausage came from the butcher just down the road, everything was homemade, and you were guaranteed a great combination of flavors in every bite. For my crostini, I spice up the ground pork with a variety of seasonings for a flavorful sausage, but you can keep it as simple as salt, pepper, and parsley and it will still have a lot going for it. A shortcut would be to use a good-quality preseasoned loose sausage. Stracchino, a creamy, spreadable cheese with a mild and delicate flavor, is typical of the cheeses in the northern regions of Italy; if you can't find it, you can substitute Robiola, Taleggio, or another creamy cheese.

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

8 ounces (225 g) ground pork

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon mustard powder

Pinch of ground red pepper

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup (30 g) chopped radicchio

6 ounces (170 g) Stracchino or other mild creamy Italian cheese, at room temperature

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the pork, parsley, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, mustard powder, and red pepper. Mix to incorporate the seasoning throughout the pork.

In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the pork is no longer pink and is starting to brown in places, and the fat has been released. Remove from the heat and toss in the radicchio; stir to wilt the radicchio.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cheese on each slice of bread and divide the pork mixture evenly over each slice, pressing down on the pork so it sticks to the cheese and stays put on the bread.

LUCA'S TIP: Use the seasoned pork mixture to make Italian-spiced hamburgers.

TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND SPICY SALAME BRUSCHETTA

La Bruschetta Bomba

I had my first real job over school break one summer when I was sixteen. The owner of a local hangout called Sherlock Pub in my hometown of Aviano, in the Friuli region of Italy, asked me if I wanted to work part-time for him as a waiter. It was here that I found my passion for Belgian-style beers, but the best thing about that place was the food, especially the bruschetta. There were ten of them on the menu, Numero 1 to Numero 9, and then there was the bomb: La Bruschetta Bomba, piled with spicy salame, mozzarella, and tomatoes (never tomato sauce, as it would make the bread soggy) and topped with oregano and red pepper flakes. (Even though I consider this a crostini, I call it bruschetta because that's what Sherlock Pub called it.) Here is my version of the bomb: flavorful at first bite with the gooey mozzarella stretching out from the bread to your teeth, then after a few seconds — boom! — get ready for the heat!

8 French baguette slices (4 inches/10 cm wide and ½ inch/12 mm thick)

2 garlic cloves, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 ripe tomato, cut into 8 (¼-inch-/6-mm-thick) slices

Red pepper flakes

Fresh oregano leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

16 slices spicy salame or spicy sopressa, cut into ¼-inch-(6-mm-) thick slices

8 (¼-inch-/6-mm-thick) slices fresh mozzarella (about 3 ounces/90 g total)

Makes 8 crostini

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes, until just golden and crisp. Transfer the bread to a plate and let cool. Leave the oven on.

Rub the bread slices with the cut side of the garlic cloves (the more garlic, the better!), brush the bread with oil, and return the slices to the baking sheet.

Place a tomato slice on top of each slice of bread. You may have to trim them or cut them in half to fit them to the bread. Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Top each with 2 pieces of the salame or sopressa; as with the tomatoes, you may have to cut the slices to fit atop the bread. Finish each with a slice of the mozzarella — you want the mozzarella slices big enough to almost wrap around the tomatoes and salame.

Bake for about 8 minutes, until the mozzarella starts to melt and brown. If you like, you can finish it off for a minute or two in the broiler to give the cheese topping a nice color. Sprinkle with additional red pepper flakes and oregano and let cool slightly; serve while still warm.

(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "My Italian Kitchen"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Shine Television, LLC.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---