Bruschetta- An Italian Appetizer

Bruschetta is an antipasto (starter dish) from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Variations may include toppings of tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese, a popular dish is Bruschetta  pomodoro; the most popular recipe outside of Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In some countries, a topping of chopped tomato, olive oil and herbs is marketed under the bruschetta name. 

Bruschetta is a fresh, simple and delicious Italian appetizer that can be prepared in minutes and enjoyed any time of the year. In its simplest Italian form, Bruschetta requires that bread be toasted over real coals, then rubbed down with slices of raw garlic, drizzled with olive oil and finished with a little bit of sea salt and fresh pepper. 

Variations evolved to further incorporate things like chopped tomatoes, beans and fresh herbs.  This recipe recreates the standard Italian tomato Bruschetta that you'd often be served in an Italian restaurant to start off your favorite Italian meal, quickly and easily in your own kitchen. Since Bruschetta is made up of very simple flavors, it is therefore best if you make it with highest quality and freshest ingredients you can find.

Course: Antipasto

Cuisine: Italian

For the Toppings:

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper chopped
• 1/4 cup cheese cubes
• 4 to 5 green olives
• 4 to 5 black olives
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 4 cloves fresh garlic finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh basil chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and 1/2tsp freshly ground pepper
• Grated cheese for garnishing
• 12 slices of Italian bread or baguette

Fresh Green Pesto

Pesto is a popular Italian sauce that's hard to miss, what with Italian cuisine being such a popular one globally. Pesto  is a sauce originating in Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and European pine nuts blended with olive oil,  Parmesan cheese, and Fiore Sardo (cheese made from sheep's milk).

Pesto is traditionally prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. First, garlic and pine nuts are placed in the mortar and reduced to a cream, then the washed and dried basil leaves are added with coarse salt and ground to a creamy consistency. After which Parmesan cheese is added. To help incorporate the cheese a little extra-virgin olive oil is added. This can be stored In an air-tight container, covered by a layer of extra-virgin olive oil, up to a week, and can be frozen for later use.

I have stayed with the recipe for the most part except to replace pine nuts with roasted groundnuts and replaced the normal garlic with roasted garlic to give it’s a smoky feeling. I must say the roasted garlic really enhance the flavor of the pesto.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/4 cup roasted groundnuts
• 1 tbsp  lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 
• Salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Combine the basil, garlic, lemon juice, and groundnuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add ¼ cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil, cheese and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl.
•  Fresh basil walnut pesto is ready. Taste and see if it needs more pepper or salt and add as needed.Remember that the Parmesan cheese will add some saltiness too, so go light on salt in the beginning, you can always add more as needed. Pesto tastes great as a dip with crackers or cut up vegetable sticks. Go ahead, make yourself some!

Let's learn how to prepare Bruschetta:

• Preheat oven to 250°C.
•  Combine tomato, bell pepper, onion, garlic, green and black olives, cheese, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl and set aside.
•  Arrange bread slices on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
•  Now spread the green pesto on each bread slices and top with tomato mixture and grated cheese.
•  Serve immediately.

 

Sending this recipe to Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme#"International Cuisine-Starters" 

Penne Pasta with assorted vegetables

Its was getting cold and rainy  and what better way to beat this than a Pasta dinner. This is a  rich and warm Pasta dish for such cozy and warmer moments of life.  I wanted to make our pasta dinner healthy and I ended up with this version of Pasta dish which was so yummilicious . This recipe is all about bringing in the various textures and aromatics. Meaty mushrooms and sausage add a rich and hearty taste to this dish.  I wasn’t sure this pasta was blog-worthy until I tried my reheated leftovers. They were amazing. 




This is a classic pasta dish - tomatoes with creamy mozzarella and fresh basil. Herbs and onions add extra depth of flavour. Perfectly-cooked Penne and richly flavoured tomato sauce come across as a heavenly match.

Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine.  Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in large varieties because it is a versatile food item. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and simple. The servings are usually accompanied by a side of meat. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner. It can be prepared by hand or food processor and served hot or cold. Pasta sauces vary in taste, color and texture. When choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve together, there is a general rule that must be observed.For a detailed knowledge do click on the link below.

http://www.chowhound.com/assets/2009/03/pasta_chart.pdf

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 5 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup Assorted Vegetables like baby corn, mushrooms, Cauliflower, Green, Red and Yellow Bell Pepper
• 2 tbsp red sauce
• 1/2 cup  chicken sausages
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sugar 
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tsp Oregano

To serve

• 400g Penne Pasta, cooked according to packet instructions
• 150g Italian mozzarella 

• Heat the water in the pan on high flame, when water starts boiling add pasta and salt. Check pasta continuously. It’s become soft and tender within 15 minutes. Press and check the pasta’s softness means it’s become well-cooked not over-cook or under-cook. Drain the water from the pasta and wash it with cold water and toss with little olive oil.

·         

• Heat the pan on medium flame with few drops of olive oil and sauté onion for 2 minutes, when onion look little transparent pinkish color add roughly chopped tomatoes and sauté until cook completely and look like sauce , add ground pepper ,tomato sauce and all spices. Mix well and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove pan from the fire and keep aside to cool.

·        

• Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over a gentle heat.Add the basil. Oregano, chopped garlic and onions and fry gently, stirring frequently, until translucent. They should be softened and not browned. Add the cherry tomatoes and the vegetables .Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, sugar . Cook till the vegetables are cooked but retains its crunchiness. In another pan, add a 1 tsp of Butter and slightly fry the sausages. Take from heat and add to the vegetables.

• Add  red sauce and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary.

• Serve with mozzarella and basil on tops.

Sending this dish to 6th Foodie Monday Bloghop theme....PASTA..