Instructions: Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for about 20 minutes.

Lift them out carefully in order not to disturb the grit at the bottom of the bowl.

Place them in another bowl and rinse a few times until the water appears clear of grit.

Pat them dry and chop them coarsely.

Pour the original soaking water through a muslin or kitchen paper ined sieve and reserve.

Heat the oil in a wide based pan and saute the shallots until translucent.

Add the garlic and then the reconstituted mushrooms with 150ml of the strained liquid the brandy and the oregano.

Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

In the meantime wipe the fresh mushrooms and chop them coarsely.

Turn the heat up add them to the pan and cook them briskly for 57 minutes uncovered stirring occasionally until most of the liquid they produce has evapourated.

Season.

When the contents of the pan are cooler put them in a food processor and process very briefly they should be chopped and not pureed.

You can prepare the mixture up to this point in advance.

Toast the slices of French bread under a hot grill.

Spread a generous layer of the mushroom mixture on top of each and serve immediately.

The crostini can also be served warm or even cold.

Probably the mostfamous part of Tuscan antipasti crostini are slices of toasted bread layered with mouthwatering toppings. The mostfamiliar are made with chicken livers or black olives and anchovies.

Serves 4

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