Bruschetta & Crostini - Tasty Italian Antipasti
from http://www.delallo.com/, modified
Along with bruschetta, crostini are thought to originate in medieval times when it was typical for Italian peasants to eat their meals on slices of bread.
Bruschetta and crostini are versatile additions to an Italian antipasto. They give you endless scope for exploring a variety of flavours and seasonal vegetables and sit equally well alongside vegetable salad antipasti, meats, cheeses, and olives.
The difference between bruschettas and crostini is the bread used. Bruschetta, from the Italian word "bruscare" meaning "to roast over coals" is made by toasting whole, wide slices of a rustic Italian or sourdough type bread.
Crostini are sliced and toasted from a smaller, round, finer-textured bread, more like a white bread baguette. In Italy you might find yourself offered an antipasto of four or five different crostini, no more than a couple of mouthfuls each, accompanied by some olives, but only one or two of the larger bruschetta would be plenty.
The small crostini are spread with judicious amounts of intensely flavored toppings, such as a rich fig spread topped with goat cheese, or a tangy black olive paste made from sun-dried olives; a sprightly caper and anchovy mix or, in fall, finely chopped wild mushrooms seasoned with black pepper.
Bruschetta at its simplest can be toasted over the embers of a fire, then rubbed with a clove of garlic and drizzled with your best extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt. This is a great way of letting the true flavors of a fresh, golden-hued olive oil shine through.
Bruschetta lends itself to a myriad of fresh and marinated toppings too, you are likely to find it generously topped with either chopped, ripe tomatoes and basil, a purée of fresh fava beans and garlic, a white-cannellini-bean salad, chopped artichoke hearts, sun dried tomato spreads, or whatever vegetables are in season at the time.
Bruschetta Recipes
Crostini Recipes
Bruschetta Inspiration:
- Tuna & Calamata Olives
- Pear, Gorgonzola & Honey
- Tomato, Spinach & Parmigiano
- Prosciutto, Fig & Mascarpone
- Hummus & Black Greek Olives
- Grilled Mushrooms & Gruyere
- Sun-Dried Tomato & Brie Bruschetta: Top slices of bread with Brie and bake for about 5 minutes, until cheese softens. Top with a slice of prosciutto and 3 slivers of jarred sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil. Serve sprinkled with chives.
Crostini Inspiration:
- Arugula, Gorgonzola & Walnuts: Top toasted crostini with fresh arugula, then spread gorgonzola and finish with toasted walnuts. Arrange on a platter and serve.
- Rich fig jam topped with goat cheese
- Avocado mashed with salt and lime juice; spread on toasts and top with shrimp
- Gorgonzola cheese topped with sliced pears
- Whip cream cheese with chopped dill; spread on toasts; top with thinly sliced smoked salmon
- Top with thinly sliced ham and a cornichon slice
- Spread with cream cheese; top with hot pepper jelly
