Crostini Mezzaluna

La Cucina Italiana magazine offers these simple, authentic dishes of the Italian countryside. From fettunta, the quintessential way to savor new olive oil, to schiacciata alla Fiorentina, Tuscany's timeless sweet flatbread, the flavor of new olive oil shines through. Each recipe serves 8.

• 1 bay leaf
• 4 peppercorns
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cubed eggplant
• 3/4 cup pitted black olives (gaeta)
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 slices Italian bread

Combine the bay leaf, peppercorns, vinegar, garlic and salt with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Add the eggplant; cook 2 minutes, or until it is tender when pierced with a knife. Drain; pat dry on clean towels. Cool. Chop the eggplant and olives together very finely with a chef's knife or mezzaluna. Stir in enough olive oil to make a soft paste; add salt if needed. Spoon onto the untoasted bread; serve within 15 minutes.

About Olives and Olive Oils

• A History of Olive Oil
• A Stone Crushing—in California
• The Tasting of the New Oils
• The Frantoio Story
• O Olive Oil
• Preserving Olive Oil

Articles About Olives (with Recipes)

• Olive Oil Basics
            Fettucine with Olive Pesto
            Olive and Feta Cornbread
• Types of Olives
            Shrimp 'N Olive Kebabs Veracruz
            Olive-Parmesan Cocktail Crescents
• Olives: Care and Storage
            Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes & Olives
            Green Beans with Garlic, Prosciutto & Olives
• American Olive History
            Fiesta Shrimp Chowder
            South American Swordfish
• Olive Oil History
            Spinach Olive Dip
            Turkey, Spinach & Olive Sandwich Wheels
• Cooking with Olives and Their Oils
            Spicy California Sicilian-Style Olives
            Smoked Salmon Rolls with Olive Cream Cheese
• Prof. Steve Holzinger On Olive Oil
            12 Recipes includes:
            Olive Oil Marinade for Kebabs
            Carrot Cake
• Cookbook: Olive Oil From Tree to Table
            Caramelized Roasted Vegetables
            Tattooed Potatoes with Rosemary
            Catalonian Bread & Olive Oil

Olive Oil Recipes

• Fettunta
• Crostini Mezzaluna
• Focaccia with Artichokes and Olives
• Olive Paste Polenta
• Cannellini Bean Soup
• Six-Herb Rice
• Taggiasche Salad
• Florentine Schiacciata
• Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers
• Apulian Bruschetta
• Rabbit Thighs Conserved in Olive Oil
• Rosemary-Infused Oil
• Olive Focaccia
• Escolar (White Tuna) Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• The New American Olive Oil by Fran Gage

• Tricolor Tomato Tians
• Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Vinegar Bruschetta
• Escabeche

• Round Up of "Green" Olive Oils

This page modified February 2007