Victors Parmesan And Olive Oil Crostino Recipes

VICTOR'S PARMESAN AND OLIVE OIL CROSTINO

Steps:

• Cut slices from very good, crusty white bread. Grill them to a light brown.
• Place the slices on a plate or a tray, keeping one or two aside.
• Blanket thickly with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, letting some cheese drop onto the plate or tray.
• Pour enough olive oil over the cheese to soak it thoroughly, letting some oil spill onto the plate or tray.
• When you have eaten the cheese and oil crostini, use the reserved slices to wipe the plate or tray clean. These may taste even better than the first.
• Your fingers will get sticky handling this. Italian children lick theirs clean.

ROASTED GARLIC CROSTINI WITH ASSORTED TOPPINGS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the garlic in a roasting pan and drizzle on the olive oil. Toss to coat thoroughly. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the garlic bulbs are very tender but not overly brown. Test by carefully giving a bulb a gentle squeeze while protecting your hand with a folded kitchen towel or an oven glove. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• 2. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each head of garlic crosswise in half, midway between its leaf and root ends, to expose all the cloves inside. Their pulp will be golden brown and as soft as butter. You can squeeze it out of each half by hand or scoop it out with a small spoon or knife. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl, pour in any olive oil from the baking dish, and stir and mash with a fork to form a smooth purée. You'll have 1/3 to 1/2 cup of purée, depending on the size of the garlic heads.
• 3. To make the Roasted Garlic Crostini, preheat the oven to 375° F. Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake them until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Spread the puréed roasted garlic evenly on the tops of the crostini. Top the crostini with any of the options listed above, or make an assortment. Spread some with 1 tablespoon each of goat cheese; then decorate the cheese with strips of roasted bell pepper or a mixture of sun-dried tomato strips and capers, or a smear of tapenade. In place of the goat cheese, top others with diced tomato tossed with some fresh basil, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar; with prosciutto and Parmesan cheese; with anchovy fillets and freshly ground black pepper; or with slices of Roma tomato and fresh mozzarella, topped with fresh basil leaves.

TOMATO AND OLIVADA CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Arrange bread slices in one layer on 2 baking sheets and sprinkle half with Parmesan. Toast slices in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 12 minutes, and cool. Crostini may be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• In a colander or sieve drain tomatoes well, pressing gently on solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and blot with paper towels. Chop tomatoes fine. In a bowl stir together tomatoes, oil, garlic paste, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Put a heaping teaspoon tomato mixture on each Parmesan crostino and top with 1/4 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste and top with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon tomato mixture.
• Garnish crostini with parsley leaves.

MIXED OLIVE CROSTINI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; stir in mozzarella cheese and parsley. Cut baguette into 24 slices; place on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread with olive mixture., Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cheese is melted.