Go Back
Print
Close-up of crispy crostini filled with rich meat sauce and melted cheese.

Crostini Recipe

Crispy Crostini topped with rich meat sauce and melted cheese create a satisfying snack or appetiser, perfect for casual get-togethers or weeknight meals.

Course: Appetiser
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Author: Recipe Adapted from Ricette di Sicilia

Ingredients

For Meat sauce

  • 200 g – 7 oz. beef mince
  • 200 g – 7 oz. pork mince
  • 1 onion – diced
  • 100 g – 3.5 oz. tomato concentrate
  • 50 g – 1.75 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grated
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ glass white wine
  • Salt and pepper

For Assembling Crostini

  • 1 large loaf of stale bread* – sliced into 1 cm – ½ inch thick slices
  • Primosale cheese – sliced into 0.5 cm – ¼ inch thick slices
  • Egg whites – lightly beaten
  • Flour and breadcrumbs – mixed in equal proportions
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the diced onion until softened. Add the beef and pork mince, browning them well and breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.
  2. Pour in the white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Stir in the salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, tomato concentrate, and ½ glass of water. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
  3. Once the sauce has thickened, mix in the finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano and set the mixture aside to cool.
  4. Slice the cheese and the bread into pieces of the same size. This will help make the crumb coating process easier.
  5. Spread a generous tablespoon of the meat sauce onto each slice of bread, then top with a slice of cheese. Repeat for all the slices.
  6. Dip each bread slice into the lightly beaten egg whites.
  7. Coat them thoroughly with the flour and breadcrumb mixture.
  8. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and shallow fry the bread slices, cheese-side down first to prevent the cheese from melting completely. Once golden, remove and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

*The bread should be compact, with a firm texture and no large holes. It must be bought in advance and left to dry for a couple of days before making the crostini.