In this recipe toasted French bread is swiped with a touch of Mediterranean kalamata olive tapenade then topped with fresh mozzarella and sweet roasted peppers. These colorful crostinis make a great flavor filled presentation.
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 loaf french bread
- balls of fresh mozzarella cheese (about 10 oz)
- 3/4 cup pitted black kalamata olives
- 1 tbs. capers
- 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. Victoria Taylor’s Mediterranean Seasoning
- 1 tbs. chopped flat leaf Italian parsley (optional)
Preheat the broiler
Canned or jarred roasted peppers can be used for this recipe. It can be hard to find yellow ones in the jar and the color is so appealing on the finished crostini that I often roast my own. If you are using fresh peppers press the halves flat with your hand and broil them skin side up until the skins are charred black (about 10 minutes). Remove the peppers from the broiler and place them in a sealed plastic bag for 20 minutes.
Slice the bread into 20 1/4 inch slices and toast the bread in the broiler until light brown (about 30-40 seconds per side). Set the toasted bread aside. Now remove the peppers from the plastic bag, peel off the charred skins, slice them into 1/4 inch strips and set aside. Slice the mozzarella into about 20 slices, 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick.
Combine the olives, capers, seasoning and olive oil in a food processor, pulsing until smooth.
Stir the chopped parsley into the mixture if desired.
Spread a thin layer of the olive mixture on each piece of toast, top with cheese and 2 strips of roasted bell pepper (1 red and 1 yellow).
Broil the Crostini until the cheese begins to melt – about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Best,
Victoria
