ChickSpeak

Bruschetta is a food that originated in central Italy.  In Tuscany, bruschetta is called fettunta – which literally means ‘oiled slices.’ 

In the USA, we tend to think of bruschettaf mainly as grilled slices of Italian bread with fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic. 

In Italy it is one of the easiest and quickest dishes to prepare for a casual dinner or an evening with family or friends. Bruschetta is sure to please each guest, with its wide array of ingredients that complement each other well. It’s also a lower calorie version of pizza. Any topping you can put on pizza, you can put on bruschetta – just less of it. It makes a great snack, appetizer, and even a meal!! 
 

Following The Basic Art of Italian Cooking tm method, bruschetta is quick and easy to prepare, since you can choose almost anything you may have in your pantry for toppings. If you follow the classic recipes for bruschetta, there are only several key ingredients needed.  All you need is an oven for toasting the bread, great authentic Italian bread (should be crusty on the outside and soft inside), garlic, and extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. 

Like all great Italian recipes, each type of bruschetta is made with a small amount of ingredients and each ingredient is important to the taste of the finished product. The most important ingredient is the bread. It should be a bit crusty outside and can be day old as well. Italian style bread or a French style baguette each work well. 

The next important ingredient is extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil, but only a small bottle is needed. The olive oil should simply be drizzled on top of bruschetta – this saves calories and olive oil! To ‘drizzle’ place your thumb over the spout while pouring so only a ‘drizzle’ of olive oil comes out. 

You can’t miss with a selection of bruschetta for appetizers or a choice of three types of bruschetta for a light meal. If you’d like to throw a bruschetta party for the holidays, you can put together a simple and quick, yet fun and delicious party by arranging the following ingredients on a table and letting the guests choose their toppings.  

Place sliced crusty (preferably day old) bread on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Place in broiler till golden, then turn over and do same to the other side. Or, if you would prefer to make it yourself, just combine any of these toppings and serve: 

• 1 bottle of extra olive oil with pourer top for drizzling
• Fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
• Cream cheese (regular, low fat, or fat free), and chopped hazelnuts and walnuts
• A can of tuna, chopped celery and celery leaves
• Chopped olives – green and black
• White chicken meat cut into cubes or thinly sliced, with chopped green olives
• Grilled vegetables – eggplant or peppers; onions, chunks of cheese
• Tomatoes, cut into small cubes (should be fresh and ripe plum tomatoes), fresh basil, chopped garlic
• Celery and celery leaves chopped
• Basil leaves chopped
• Anchovies canned in olive oil
• Lettuce, baby spinach or arugula
• Thinly sliced ham, prosciutto, salami, cheese chunks
• Pesto sauce (you can buy pre-made), shredded mozzarella
• Canned tomato paste (1 tbsp per slice of bread), shredded provolone or mozzarella, dash of oregano

Be sure to drizzle with a light touch of olive oil after you have placed on the toppings. 

If you are serving on individual plates, drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of the plate, and place the bruschetta in the center with a sprig of fresh parsley or basil on the side for a nice touch. 

Buona Bruschetta!!

Featured from my book, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, copyright 2005, 2006,2007-2008 PrimaMedia, Inc