We finally pressed our olives and although we did not get as much oil as we did last year, we got enough to enjoy it for a while. New extra virgin olive oil should not be cooked with. Why would you want to lose all of the amazing spicy good flavor anyway. Here we drizzle it on everything but first it is tradition to make bruschetta. Here below are some ideas.
BRUSCHETTE MISTE
Bruschette (brew-ske-tay) are a very traditions starter in Tuscany. It is a good way to use up old bread and to bring out the wonderful flavors of the toppings. Bascically the word translated as “to toast” coming from the Roman bruscare or the Italian abbrustolire. Day old (or older) country style bread (here we use the salt free bread that is a base for so many dishes in Tuscany) is sliced then grilled over wood or coals and then is rubbed with garlic, drizzled with good extra virgin olive oil then sprinkled with salt. This is a classic bruschetta.
Besides this, there are many different types of bruschetta, here below are my favorites:
Al Pomodoro – Chop good sun ripened tomatoes and mix with salt, some basil and a whole peeled clove of garlic. Let sit for at least an hour.
Ai Zucchini – Slice zucchini in long strips using a potato peeler. Salt and let sit for and hour. Rinse off salt then mix with lemon juice, fresh thyme and olive oil.
Al Miele e Pecorino – Drizzle a little honey on one side of the bread then place some pecorino on top and put in the over for a couple of minutes until melted
Al Cavolo Nero – Boil the green part of kale in salted water until wilted. Place the kale on the toasted bread then add a bit of the cooking water on top and a bit of pecorino
Ai Cannellini – Heat cannellini beans with garlic and sage then top the bread with this.
On all of the above, make sure to drizzle a bit of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany on top.
Love this! Thank you