Ventresca is canned tuna belly marinated in olive oil. It's a delicacy Spain and Italy. I've been told that it is traditional to use it only with beans, but it's so rich and so much moister and more flavorful than regular tuna, I like to use it whenever the tuna is playing a central role, such as in these crostini.

4 ½-inch-thick slices from a bâtard
(or 8 slices from a baguette or 2 slices from a large round rustic white loaf, cut in half)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the bread
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons Garlic Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons capers, chopped
4 roasted Piquillo peppers
1 ounce ventresca (see "Tuna"; or any olive oil–packed tuna), lightly drained
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
Italian parsley leaves
Sea salt

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're lightly toasted and golden brown. (You can also toast the bread in a toaster, but without the oil. Then brush the toast with oil after they're done.) Rub the oiled side of the crostini with the garlic and set them on your work surface, oiled side up.

Stir the Garlic Mayonnaise and capers together in a small bowl. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the mayonnaise in an uneven layer on each crostino, dividing it evenly and leaving the edges of the toast visible. Rip the peppers open and lay one pepper on each crostino, lay the tuna on top of the peppers, and sprinkle the crostini with the parsley and a few grains of sea salt.

Copyright © 2007 by Nancy Silverton. All rights reserved.