TOMATO AND OLIVADA CROSTINI

Tomato and Olivada Crostini image

Yield Makes about 50 crostini

Number Of Ingredients 9

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a 16-inch thin loaf Italian or French bread, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
two 28-ounce cans Italian whole tomatoes, seeded and drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, chopped and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
about 1/3 cup olivada or other bottled black olive paste(Olivada or other bottled black olive paste available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets)
Garnish: about 50 small fresh parsley leaves

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Arrange bread slices in one layer on 2 baking sheets and sprinkle half with Parmesan. Toast slices in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 12 minutes, and cool. Crostini may be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
In a colander or sieve drain tomatoes well, pressing gently on solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and blot with paper towels. Chop tomatoes fine. In a bowl stir together tomatoes, oil, garlic paste, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Put a heaping teaspoon tomato mixture on each Parmesan crostino and top with 1/4 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste and top with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon tomato mixture.
Garnish crostini with parsley leaves.