How about a bruschetta break?

Bruschetta is a delicious appetizer or snack that brings daily joy to all Italian homes. Being extremely simple to make, high quality ingredients play a crucial role in making it taste at its best.

But before approaching the way it is made and how it is to be savoured, let us clear out of our way a simple issue: how is it to be pronounced? That “ch” in the middle of the word is actually very tricky for non-italian natives and the common, though wrong, tendency to pronounce it “sh” is very diffused.

So here we go: it is BROOS-KET-TAH. It is exactly the same CH sound that we find in Chianti and yes (this may sound confusing to some, but it’s true), in pistacchio which is pronounced PEES-TUCK-KEE-OH. Now that we know how to pronounce it properly, we can move on with more confidence towards preparing some for our guests at a BBQ, dinner, etc.

Basic ingredients are: rustic bread, good EVO olive oil and garlic, while fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes are a much appreciated plus. Bruschetta is excellent even with just olive oil and garlic, yes.

We recommend our fragrant EVO olive oil from Frantoio Marcolini.

Its spicy and fruity taste will impregnate the surface of the bread with flavours that will later be delivered to your palate, together with the freshness of the tomato and the rough texture of the bread smoothened by the garlic, as in an explosion.

We also recommend that you also use high quality garlic with its stinging spicy aroma, together with a good choice of cherry tomatoes.

Toast the sliced bread (possibly on a live wooden or charcoal fired flame, if available), remove the burned parts if any (those are not good for your health); peel and wash some garlic cloves and rub them onto the hardened top surface of the bread until you get a thin layer of garlic paste of the consistency you best prefer. Then sprinkle generously with our EVO and finally add some chopped tomatoes on top (having them previously marinate with some olive oil and basil is a variant). If you would like to add some other ingredients, that is entirely up to you but the original recipe is as simple as this.

Now, eat while still warm and, in order to enjoy the moment to the max, do try to pair the experience with some good wine. Our recommendation for highlighting a good bruschetta experience is:

A fresh, fruity rosee. Nothing like our Illa from Di Sante Cantina: organic, refreshing and packed with gentle flavours. Serve well chilled.

A light white, with a slight acidity note to it. Our Grecante, from Arnaldo Caprai, is just perfect for it.

For reds, any Sangiovese in purity or blend will do wonderfully, pairing the sting of the garlic base on bruschetta with the freshness and the acidity note that is typical of Sangiovese. In our case, we feel that an easy and smooth drink as our organic Gazza is probably the happiest of choices.

Our Prosecco Il Follo, whether brut or extra dry is also a wonderful choice for just about any appetizer. Properly chilled down to 8 degrees, of course.

Well, DO try this at home and… salute!