Travel to Sicily with this easy and delicious Crostino alla Palermitana recipe! Enjoy a taste of Italy with this traditional dish that has been passed down through generations. The simple ingredients come together for a flavorful and hearty toast that will transport you straight to the streets of Palermo!
Begin by gathering the ingredients necessary for this Crostino alla Palermitana recipe. You will need: 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 4 slices of toasted bread, 2 tablespoons of capers, 2 anchovy fillets in oil, 2 teaspoons of oregano, and 2 ripe tomatoes. Once you have everything together, you are ready to start cooking!
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic clove. After two minutes, remove the garlic and add the capers, anchovies, oregano and tomatoes cut into small pieces. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and remove from the heat – this is your caponata spread. Allow it to cool in a bowl before you begin assembling your crostino toast!
Preheat your oven to 350 ˚F. Cut the Italian bread into ½-inch thick slices and place them onto a baking tray. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to evenly coat all of the slices and then sprinkle with salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crunchy – these are your crostino toast!
Grab the caponata out of the fridge and spread a dollop onto each crostino toast. Caponata is a mix of eggplant, tomatoes, celery, olives, capers and other vegetables that's been cooked down slowly in a sweet-and-sour sauce. It's a delicious topping to the crunchy toast slices!
To finish, top your crostini with crushed almonds and a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese. Serve the Crostino alla Palermitana (Palermitano Toast) immediately to enjoy the full flavors of this traditional Italian dish. Enjoy again and again!
