I have a home full of mushroom lovers and am always looking at new ways to use mushrooms in my recipes. This crunchy crostini loaded with mushrooms is perfect as a quick snack or starter.
Crostini is an Italian appetizer which consists of small pieces of toasted or fried bread served with a vegetable or meat topping. In fact, this simple snack is great any time of the day. I often serve it as the 7 PM snack,after the boys’ evening games session with some soup. This recipe was shared by my young friend Minoo Bulsara. Thanks Minoo, we are in love with these- a crunchy cheese fest!

Ingredients

Porcini Mushrooms/button mushrooms, cubed or sliced- 1 cup
(If using dried porcini mushrooms, soak in warm water for an hour before preparing the  topping)
Red, green and yellow peppers, chopped into cubes- ½ cup
Onion, chopped fine- 1 medium sized
Garlic, minced- 1 tbsp
Fresh herbs (parsley and thyme)chopped fine– ½ cup (Use 1 Tbsp of dry herb mix in case fresh herbs are not available)
Salt – 1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper- ½ tsp
1 long Italian or French bread, sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices or any regular loaf sliced to get 12-15 slices
Olive oil/vegetable oil- 1 Tbsp
Mozzarella/Parmesan/Cheddar Cheese, grated- ½ cup
Butter/olive oil to brush the bread

Slice the baguette/bread loaf to bite sized pieces. Keep aside. I have used my Oats Honey Lemon Loaf to make the crostini. The basic white bread may also be used.

To prepare the topping, heat a tsp of olive oil/vegetable oil in a pan and add in garlic and onions and sauté till the onions become translucent.
Add in the mushrooms and the peppers and cook till the liquid dries up completely. Add the fresh/dried herbs and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, take the crostini/bread bites, butter them or brush with olive oil toast them till crisp. Take a spoonful of the mixture and place over the toasted crostini/bread bites and garnish with grated parmesan (or whatever cheese you are using) and parsley.
Put under a hot grill for a couple of minutes and serve.

*Any vegetable of choice can be used to replace the mushrooms. I have tried it with peppers and broccoli. Tastes great.
* in case what you have at hand is a pre-sliced loaf, simply cut to wide fingers, roundels or squares and use that for the crostini.