Starters

Cured Meats, Fettunta, Tomato Bruschetta, Bruschetta with Pecorino di Pienza and honey, Bruschetta with stracchino cheese and sausage, Bruschetta with mushrooms, Bruschetta with cavolo nero

Cured Meats: Cured meats have always been integral to Tuscan appetizers. In my grandparents’ time, most farmers bred pigs for consumption–there was always a stall for the pigs, often more than one. My Uncle Adelmo used to recount how it was his job to take the pigs outdoors into the woods and take care of them every day. On the day of slaughter, usually in the winter when the temperatures were very cold so as to help preserve the meat, relatives and neighbors would join together and prepare the cuts of meat to cure like prosciutto seasoned with garlic, or Tuscan capocollo seasoned with fennel, as well as bacon, pancetta, and salami. They also prepared the fegatelli, cutting pork liver into small pieces, seasoning them with wild fennel, salt and pepper and then wrapping them one at a time in a net, after which they would be cooked in lard. The meat cuts considered less valuable, but no less tasty, were used make sopressata.

Fettunta: It’s called “fettunta” or “crostino” because it was a tradition enjoyed at the time of the new oil, when the olives were pressed at the mill. It’s a simple food, most often an appetizer, basically toast that that you rub with garlic and then season with salt and oil. If you add other ingredients it becomes “bruschetta.” Bruschetta with chicken livers is prepared with chicken livers, broth, white wine, onion, and anchovies.

Tomato bruschetta: Fresh tomatoes are cut into small pieces and seasoned with olive oil, salt and basil. Simple, but if you use fresh quality ingredients, it can be exquisite.

Bruschetta with Pecorino di Pienza and honey: Place some pecorino atop the crostino and bake. At the end drizzle a bit of honey and serve hot.

Bruschetta with stracchino cheese and sausage: Mix together fresh sausage with the soft cheese, then put it on top of the crostino and bake.

Bruschetta with mushrooms: Slice and cook mushrooms in a skillet with oil and garlic. Then prepare the slices of crostino. Place the mushrooms on top of the bread, add a slice of mozzarella and bake.

Bruschetta with cavolo nero: A poor food from the rural tradition in Tuscany. Cooked kale was placed atop slices of toasted bread and then moistened with the cooking water from the cabbage.