finger food Archives - Very EATalian

2016 is almost here! Whoo-hoo!!

My plans for New Year’s involve staying home with my family, preparing TONS of stuzzichini (small bites), eating zampone and lentils (for good luck), fiercely playing tombola to possibly win some money, let my cousins and uncles scare me to death while they set off firecrackers, drink a glass or two of fine Franciacorta, and shamelessly do the conga around the table to 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music. Oh, and I failed to mention my favorite part: lighting sparklers!!

What about you? How are you going to ring in the new year?? If you’re hosting dinner or you’re participating in a potluck, I’d like to inspire you with some of the small bite party appetizers I made for our NYE party. They’re pretty, refined, and elegant — suitable for any party and especially perfect for New Year’s Eve!

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Hey guys–I’m back! Moving overseas is NO JOKE. I’ve done it before but this time was definitely more …”intense”. We had to deal with lots of sorting, tossing, packing, cleaning all kinds of stuff and arranging all the details to make this move happen — in a VERY short time. Thankfully, I survived all the craziness and I can formally announce I’m writing you from my favorite place in the world: ITALY. Oh yeah. I wish I could tell you I’m nothing but happy to be here in my homeland, but the truth is a big part of me is sad. It will be a loooong time apart from my husband. *big tear*

OK. Switching back to happier thoughts… how about I give you an easy and quick recipe? What if it was an appetizer that could also become a light dinner? The magic word is CROSTINI! The ones you see in the pictures are very fresh and quite satisfying. I LOVE dining off appetizers–they’re more fun to eat than a regular meal and they’re SO easy to prepare. You’ll only need 5 main ingredients, one non-stick pan and 15-20 minutes of your time.

You already know how much I love prosciutto crudo, but I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I love burrata cheese. Oh my. It’s creamy cheesy goodness. You absolutely need to try it. Burrata is simply a shell of mozzarella holding a soft, buttery heart of fresh cream, mixed with soft stringy flecks of curd (scraps of mozzarella bits, also called rags). It’s just plain delicious.

The ingredient sequence to prepare these crostini is as follows:

toasted bread + burrata + prosciutto (from San Daniele!!) + seared cherry tomato + basil + balsamic glaze.

How simple is that?? Little effort for a delicious and quick dinner. I love that.

Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese Crostini

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

a small ciabatta baguette (about 5 oz)
8 oz burrata cheese, sliced
2-3 oz (about 4-5 slices) San Daniele prosciutto
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 basil leaves
balsamic glaze
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt

Instructions

Slice ciabatta baguette into 12 slices. Drizzle each slice with extra-virgin olive oil.
Place slices of bread on non-stick pan, over medium-high heat. Toast them on both sides until they reach a golden brown color (don't lose sight of them or they'll burn).
In the same skillet, add another bit of oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add tomatoes halves cut-side down and sear them for 1 minute, briefly turning them. Sprinkle some salt on top and remove from the heat before they get too soft, placing them on a separate small dish.
Break prosciutto with your hands, in smaller pieces.
Assemble crostini: place a slice of burrata on each crostino, add a piece of prosciutto as a second layer; top with a cherry tomato and a basil leaf.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.