This is a great way to use up leftover roasted red peppers. When I and my two brothers and sister were kids, my parents often served it as an afternoon snack to ward off our hunger before dinner was ready.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 crostini

　　8 slices (1/2 inch thick) of baguette bread

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper strips (see page 51)

　　1/3 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese or fontina cheese

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the bread with oil and bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. (The crostini can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cool, then store airtight at room temperature. Return the crostini to a baking sheet before proceeding.)

　　

Step 2

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the bell pepper strips atop the crostini and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Transfer the crostini to a platter and serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.