As you know, we just recently arrived home in Tuscany after spending the Australian summer in our Yallingup home, Wildwood Valley.

There's been many wonderful Italian friends to catch up with, which means plenty of drinks and canapes when friends pop in to welcome us back.

Capsicums are in abundance at market, and this is such a lovely easy recipe to whip up. It's easy to prepare ahead too; you can roast the capsicum earlier in the day, and mix the salsa ingredients together, allowing the flavours to marinate.

I hope you and your friends can enjoy this lovely little bite too - let me know what you think if you make it.

Ciao, Sioban

Canape Recipe: Crostini with a Peperonata Salsa

Makes 18 crostinis

Ingredients

• 2 red capsicums, roasted and peeled
• ½ baguette, sliced in ½ cm thick rounds - should make 18 rounds
• 4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 ½ tblsp capers, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, diced finely
• ¼ cup parsley leaves picked and roughly chopped
• juice of ½ lemon
• sea salt and pepper

Method

1. To roast the capsicums place them in a baking tray cook them in a moderate oven, 170 degrees for about 40 minutes. Turn them several times as they start to darken on the top. Leave to cool, then peel them and remove the seeds. Alternatively, char grill them over an open flame.
2. Using a pastry brush, coat one side of the baguette with extra virgin olive oil. Place on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven only 150 degrees until they have become crisp but not too brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Roughly dice the roasted capsicum into 1cm cubes and place in a bowl.
4. Add olives, capers, shallot and parsley and season with remaining extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
5. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
6. Spoon the peperonata onto the crostini and serve with drinks