Crostini with lardo di Colonnata and rosemary

Ingredients

• 12 slices natural wheat sourdough country bread
• 180 g lardo di Colonnata IGP aged in a marble conca
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 clove fresh white garlic
• 1 tsp whole Tellicherry black peppercorns

Method

1. Strip the fresh rosemary leaves onto a clean cutting board, then very delicately mince the needles with a paring knife until finely and evenly chopped. Set aside in a small bowl.
2. Crush the black pepper in a mortar or set your grinder to a coarse grind to get clean, aromatic shards without excess powder.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half lengthwise and remove the green central germ if there is one, to release the aromatic juices of the flesh without any bitterness.
4. Preheat a dry cast iron skillet over high heat or turn on the oven broiler to two hundred and forty degrees Celsius. Toast the country bread slices for about two minutes per side, until the surface is deeply golden, crisp to the touch and marked with light brown streaks, while keeping the center soft.
5. Right off the heat, while the bread is still piping hot and almost burning your fingertips, very lightly rub the crisp side with the cut side of the garlic clove, doing just one quick pass so you do not saturate the crumb.
6. Immediately arrange the lardo di Colonnata slices on the hot bread. Under the direct effect of the residual heat, the pearly white fat should turn translucent in a few seconds, relaxing and sinking into the air pockets of the crumb without melting completely into a liquid.
7. Instantly scatter the chopped fresh rosemary over the surface and finish with a few shards of cracked black pepper. Serve without waiting, the second the lardo is partially melted, to enjoy the contrast between the hot crust and the silky fat.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

421.5 kcal

Protein

7.11 g

Carbohydrate

38.81 g

Fat

25.16 g

Fibre

2.96 g

Calcium

21.26 mg

Iron

1.12 mg

Magnesium

26.46 mg