Chunky Puttanesca Crostini Recipes

GREEN AND GOLD TAPENADE CROSTINI

Steps:

• 1. Put the raisins, fennel seeds, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
• 2. Pulse the garlic, olives, lemon juice, and olive oil until coarsely chopped. Add the raisin mixture and pulse 4 or 5 times. Spoon onto the crostini and season with a few cracks of freshly ground pepper.
• 3. Spoon tapenade onto toasts, arrange on a platter. Serve.

PUTTANESCA I

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat oil in a skillet over low heat; cook garlic in oil until golden. Add sieved tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in anchovies, tomato paste, capers, olives, and red pepper flakes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Toss pasta with sauce, and serve.

SIMPLE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on two large rimmed baking sheets; brush both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes (if undersides are not browning, turn crostini over once during baking). Let cool on baking sheets. Top crostini with desired toppings, and serve.

CROSTINI

Steps:

• Set the oven to broil at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, butter and garlic. Set over medium heat, and cook until butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Dip each slice of bread into the garlic mixture, turning to coat each side. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Press one side of each piece of bread into the cheese, and place cheese side up on a baking sheet.
• Broil on the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

PASTA PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring 1 gallon water to a boil over high heat. When water boils, sprinkle in 4 tsp salt and add pasta. Stir well and cook about 12 minutes or until just tender, al dente.
• As soon as you put water on to boil, start sauce. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes, being careful not to burn. Add onion, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, and oregano and stir, cooking for 5 minutes. Add anchovies and anchovy oil, raise the heat to medium high and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring and mashing up the anchovies.
• add tomeatoes, using your hands to crush them up a bit, and add all the juice. Add bay leaf and red pepper flakes and simmer 5 minutes. Add olives and capers and simmer andother 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Toss with warm puttanesca sauce and serve.

RICK'S BASIC CROSTINI

Steps:

• 1. On a cutting board, finely chop the garlic and sprinkle the salt over it. Keep chopping and smashing the garlic and salt together to make a paste. Use a wide-bladed knife so you can smear the paste along its flat side. You can also do this with a mortar and pestle.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix the butter, lemon juice, and garlic paste. Fold the softened butter over and onto the garlic mixture, mashing it down with the back of a spoon or spatula. Season to taste with pepper and continue folding.
• 3. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Scrape the butter onto the plastic and use the plastic wrap to shape butter into a log, encased in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use. If not using within 3 days, you can freeze the garlic butter for up to 2 months. Let the butter soften before using.
• 4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• 5. Lay the bread on a baking sheet and brush both sides with garlic butter. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, turning once, until golden brown but not too crispy. Let cool before using.
• Good Butter
• The difference between really good butter and all other butter lies with the butterfat content of the cream, which depends in large part on the cows and how the cream is handled before it is churned into butter. The best butter from Europe is made from raw or cultured cream and, particularly that made from raw cream, might not be imported to the United States. But never fear: At American companies such as the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, the butter is made from high-grade cream (a high butterfat content) that is cultured and then churned. The butter is rich and flavorful and when it's salted, its salt content is significantly lower than typical salted butter. This is what I use in my crostini recipes, so depending on the salted butter you choose, you may not need to add any salt. As with all ingredients for these recipes, choose the best butter you can. It pays off in terms of taste.