Try as I might, I find I still get angry at a lot of things: a bad hair day, a late delivery, a stain that won’t come out, a broken egg. Don’t even get me started on the big things! The antidote to my internal fury is cooking; it resolves my inner turmoil in a way that nothing else does.
And yet, sometimes, even I am angry or tired of that. So much effort: shopping, cleaning, standing in the kitchen, and all just to feed myself. And then I’m angry that I am almost always hungry. Do we really have to do this for ourselves several times a day? In those moments, something on bread is the solution.
If there’s one item in the kitchen that I am happy to outsource, it’s bread. Although I have tried making my own sourdough at home (with pleasing results), I would much rather spend my time thinking about what goes on the bread. It is the greatest of vessels to pile high with vegetables, cheese and sometimes little fish or a slice of salumi.
Buy a good loaf of bread, whatever that means to you. For me, a good sourdough, made by skilled hands, simply cannot be beaten, or go for ciabatta, baguette, or something with a good, chewy crust, and not too many large holes in the centre because, as gravity dictates, what is not held up, will fall.
To turn any loaf into crostini, slice and brush each piece of bread liberally on both sides with extra-virgin olive oil. Fry in a pan, grill on your stove, or, if your outdoor grill is going, grill over charcoal. If it weren’t so wasteful, I would light a grill just to grill bread – it’s by far my favourite way. Look for toasty colour on both sides, then scrape the cut-side of a garlic clove along one side of the toasted bread – a little goes a long way. Finish with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt. You could stop here, and most would be impressed, but continue for even greater results.
Crostini with sweet-and-sour greens and ricotta
Blanch hearty greens like cavolo nero, silverbeet (Swiss chard), beet tops and even chicory (bitter greens) in boiling salted water. Drain and squeeze most of the water out, then roughly chop the greens. Sauté diced brown onion, minced garlic, diced celery and chopped sultanas (golden raisins) in lots of olive oil until soft and sweet. Add the chopped greens to the pan and cover with a lid so everything steams together for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and red wine vinegar. Prepare your crostino and slather with seasoned ricotta. Top with the greens and some toasted pine nuts then finish with a drizzle of good-quality olive oil.
Crostini with capsicum, capers and rocket
Char sweet red capsicums (peppers) on a hot grill or over an open gas flame. Place them in a bowl, cover with a plate and allow to steam and cool. Peel, deseed and cut the capsicums into strips. Season with salt, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar and olive oil. Prepare your crostino and top with the dressed capsicum. Sprinkle with rinsed, salted capers and rocket (arugula) leaves that have been dressed with olive oil and salt.
Crostini with roast pumpkin, pancetta (or thinly sliced bacon) and sage
Cut a small pumpkin (squash) in half, scoop out the seeds and brush the skin and flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place it on a baking tray, cut-side up, and roast in a 180C (350F) oven until it’s completely soft, about 40–60 minutes, depending on the pumpkin. Fry strips of pancetta in a pan until rendered and crisp. Fry the sage in the pork fat, until crisp, then remove it from the pan and fry the bread in the rendered fat, adding olive oil if needed. Scoop out the pumpkin and crush it lightly in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste. Top the prepared crostino with the mashed pumpkin, crisp strips of pancetta, the fried sage and a drizzle of good-quality aged balsamic vinegar. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper.
Crostini with goat’s curd, lentils, broad beans and mint
Boil lentils in salted water until tender and drain. Blanch podded broad beans in boiling water for 30 seconds and immediately plunge into ice water. Strip off the outer husks of the beans, then mix the beans with the lentils (the early-spring baby broad beans can be left unpeeled). Dress the lentil broad bean mix with red wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped mint, salt and black pepper. Prepare your crostino and top with creamy goat’s curd. Spoon the lentil mix on to the toasted bread, and sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano and chopped chives.
Crostini with ricotta, bursting cherry tomatoes and anchovy
Preheat your oven to as high as it will go, about 230-250C (450-480F). Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and fresh oregano on a baking tray and place in the oven. Cook until the tomatoes are bursting open and juicy, but not completely collapsed. Prepare your crostino and top with ricotta and a spoonful of the tomatoes, finishing with a good quality anchovy fillet and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.
Crostini with mozzarella and roasted lemon
When lemons are at their peak of the winter season (do not attempt this out of season), place thin slices of lemon on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a light sprinkle of sugar.
Roast the citrus rounds under a medium-hot grill (broiler) until they look softened, but not burnt. Prepare crostino and top with slices of buffalo mozzarella, followed by the lemon slices and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Finish with a couple of basil leaves.
