Appetizers

Fresh Crab and Rapini Bruschetta

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients
1 head rapini
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 baguette, sliced
¼ cup Domenica Fiore Novello organic extra virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt
1 anchovy, chopped
½ tsp dried chili flakes
¼ cup fresh Dungeness crabmeat
Half a lemon

Method
Chop rapini into thirds and boil in salted water until just cooked through, but still crisp. Plunge under cold water to stop cooking. Meanwhile, rub cut side of garlic across bread slices. Drizzle bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil until toasted on both sides.

In a frying pan gently heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, add anchovy and cook for a minute. Add rapini and chili flakes. Stir until just heated through.

Spread some rapini on each slice of baguette. Top with crab. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with lemon juice. Serve.

Capunatina Siciliana

This is a sweet and sour mix of Mediterranean vegetables. It can be served as a side dish or as a condiment on bread, crackers or pizza.

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
Salt
3 bell peppers (red, green and orange or yellow)
1 medium zucchini (do not peel)
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, sliced
1 bunch parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp capers
1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes, very thinly sliced
2 scant Tbsp sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup Domenica Fiore Novello di Notte organic extra virgin olive oil

Method
Wash and slice eggplant lengthwise, leaving the purple rind. Place slices on a dish and salt generously, layering sliced eggplant and salt. When eggplant slices are all layered, place another dish on top and put a heavy weight (such as an iron or another heavy object) on the top dish. This will remove excess water from the eggplant, making it easier to fry.

After 30 minutes, drain eggplant slices, squeezing water from each slice individually. Set aside on a paper towel.

Slice bell peppers lengthwise, removing the seeds and stem. Slice zucchini lengthwise.

Pour olive oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Fry eggplant slices until golden. Remove and set aside in a dish.

Fry sliced bell peppers, then add sliced zucchini. Add sliced onion. When the onion is slightly cooked, add eggplant slices back. Add parsley and capers. Stir.

Add sliced tomatoes as a thin layer on top of the fried vegetable mixture. Cover the vegetable mixture entirely. Do not stir.

Sprinkle sugar and vinegar on top, without stirring. Increase the heat momentarily and cover the frying pan, allowing the vinegar and sugar to permeate the vegetable mixture. Cook covered for a couple of minutes. Uncover and stir all the vegetables, including the top layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Remove from stove. Add salt to taste.

Plate the caputina, drizzle with Domenica Fiore Novello di Notte organic extra virgin olive oil.