Mixed crostini

Crostini are a smaller version of bruschette – here, Mario Matassa explains how to make tomato & aubergine and bean versions of the dish

Crostini
Serves
 6
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 10-15 minutes

For the tomato & aubergine crostini

Ingredients:

• 1 small aubergine

• 6 ripe plum tomatoes

• 9 thick slices of day-old rustic bread

• a handful of basil leaves, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1 Heat a griddle. Slice the aubergine into 1cm rounds, brush with olive oil, then cook on the griddle for about 10 minutes, until soft.

2 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish together with three slices of rustic bread, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the skins from the tomatoes and place them in a blender together with the baked bread. Blitz everything together until well blended, then season.

3 To prepare the crostini, toast the remaining slices of bread, then rub with a garlic clove and trickle with oil. Depending on the size, chop each slice into 2-3 pieces. Place a slice of aubergine on top of each piece, followed by a heaped tablespoon of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with basil and olive oil.

For the bean crostini

Ingredients:

• 450g tin of cannellini beans, drained

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary needles

• 1 tsp tomato purée

• 6 thick slices of day-old rustic bread

• a few spring onions, finely sliced

• extra-virgin olive oil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1 Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and the tomato purée. Mix together and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. 

2 Place the bean mixture into a large bowl and roughly mash with the back of a fork. Toast the bread, then cut each slice into around 2-3 pieces. 

3 Rub the toast with garlic and trickle with olive oil. Place a spoonful of the bean mixture on each piece of bread and top with some spring onion to serve. 

Find more Italian-inspired recipes here