Crostini

All self-respecting Italians settle down to a lunch of at least five courses. The first of these, antipasti – that is, the course before the second course, pasta – can be a variety of treats such as slices of salami or cured ham, a dish of nutty fat green olives, grilled or pickled vegetables, anchovy fillets, raw mushrooms in olive oil and lemon juice, hard-boiled eggs with tuna fish mayonnaise – the variety and the list are endless. My favourite, though, is the toasted bread called crostini and bruschetta. Crostini means ‘little toasts’ and in their simplest form are small, thin pieces of bread brushed with olive oil and toasted; they are sometimes served as croûtons for soup. But they are usually served with puréed spreads. Bruschetta are bigger, thicker pieces of toasted Italian country bread that are sometimes rubbed with a raw clove of garlic, drenched in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. (Why don’t the Brits esteem and celebrate dripping toast, please?) Often grilled vegetables are used as a topping for bruschetta. Three refined but splendid crostini are as follows.