For Thanksgiving, as well as for all holiday lunches and dinners, crostini appetizers are an all-around crowd-pleaser. Quick and easy to make, serve this finger food either warm and cold.
Making artichoke pâté
To make the artichoke pâté, clean the artichokes then slice them. Sprinkle with salt, which enhances the flavor by extracting the liquid in the artichokes while cooking. In the meantime, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a pan with a clove of garlic. Once hot, add the artichokes to the pan and sauté. After around 1 minute, add ⅓ cup dry white wine and let it evaporate. Let cook for another 6-8 minutes, then add a pinch of chopped parsley to the artichokes and once lukewarm, blend them with enough extra-virgin olive oil to make the resulting pâté smooth.
Which bread is best for artichoke crostini?
Choose toasted bread or one that's naturally leavened and rubbed with garlic and oil (and then toasted). Rye or walnut bread also go well.
A match made in heaven
Crostini go well with (almost) any ingredient. For a lean Thanksgiving dinner menu, serve the artichoke crostini alongside smoked salmon or pan-fried shrimp with a clove of garlic, or add tuna in oil to the pâté itself for extra flavor. If you love richer, stronger flavors, complete the artichoke crostini with diced bacon or crumbled sausage (cooked in a non-stick pan with no added seasonings). On Thanksgiving, nuts also add a crunchy note to this appetizer. Just dust each slice of toasted bread with a few slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. Try the artichoke crostini with a few slices of melted cheese or atop a bruschetta with gorgonzola cheese. You could also add finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. For a vegan version, garnish the crostini with fried leeks and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. If you love cold cuts, add prosciutto cotto, bresaola, or mortadella to the mix.
Got leftovers?
If on the off chance you wind up with leftovers, use the pâté as pasta sauce the following day. Mix it with some ricotta, a ladleful or two of the pasta cooking water, and some fresh cream. Add white pepper to taste, sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano, and call it lunch.
