Crostini literally mean little toasts in the Italian language. The dish consists of tiny pieces of toasted or grilled bread adorned with an interesting array of delectable toppings. The crostini recipes are mostly concerned with the preparation of the toppings which can be either meat, eggs or vegetables or be heaped on the crostini in any kind of combinations. The crostini bread does not vary widely, however, and consists of the French or the Italian baguette. The simplest form of the crostini is a piece of tiny toasted bread brushed with some olive oil or topped with herbs or any kind of sauce. Cheeses are widely used along with the toppings as well. There are numerous crostini recipes available which recommend serving the dish as an appetizer in accompaniment with wine. A particularly innovative idea is to serve these tiny breads as garnishing floating on a soup. The art of making a crostini is not too difficult to master and can be easily prepared at home. However, there are a wide range of grocer shops and specialty stores which sell them in the packaged form. They can be stored in an air tight container and served either cold or warmed up.
History Of Crostini Recipes
Crostini is believed to be a kind of Italian peasant food which had originated in the medieval ages. The Italians too poor to possess ceramic plates preferred to eat their food by keeping it on the surface of breads. The Italians often ate stale bread which had to be soaked in juices or wine in order to chew it properly.
Ingredients And Popular Crostini Recipes
The easiest form of crostini recipes is nothing elaborate or fancy. An assortment of olives, pepper, cheeses and garlic are all that it takes to put together a basic crostini. A half of baguette is toasted lightly and spread with the topping which consists of mixing all the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. A light garnishing with chopped parsley often adds color to the appetizer.
Variations Of Crostini
The variations of crostini are usually in the form of toppings although the baguette can be replaced by other kinds of bread as well. There are no limits to its variations as many unique ideas can result in creating the most innovative crostinis imaginable. Some of the healthier and interesting variations of the crostini are:-
• Greens- Boiled greens consisting of cabbage, Swiss chard and cavolo nero along with peeled garlic flakes can serve as the topping. Sea salt and black pepper are the only seasonings required and a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil along with a drop of freshly squeezed lemon juice completes the dish.
• Herbs- A mixture of herbs consisting of fennel tops, basil, thyme and chervil tastes good on toasted bread after being served with a seasoning of black pepper and balsamic vinegar together with hot olive oil.
• Beans & Garlic- Cannellini beans and roasted garlic along with red wine vinegar and rosemary oil is an innovative way of eating the crostini. Nutritional value Of Crostini Health benefits of these tiny toasted breads vary along with the nature of the toppings. A topping consisting of healthy green vegetables and herbs are higher in nutritive value than the ones topped with minced meat or sausages and garnished rather heavily with cheese.