01 May, 2010

Bread

My relationship with bread has been a complex one. As a child I thought of bread as sort of the middle man to good things; burgers and cheese needed something to separate them! In my adolescence, when I became a vegetarian it was more of a staple; I was what one might call a potato and cheese vegetarian. Then I discovered baguettes, coupled with roasted garlic, olive oil, fruit and cheese. Oh goodness, the flood gates opened, not all bread was processed and in the shape of a square, there was this lovely flakey business also used as bread that tasted of awesome. So there my love affair with bread started, right at that moment, write it down everyone because this is important.
Then, like in any relationship, bread and I hit a rough spot; ranging from dietary avoidance to indifference. Living in Spain we ate bread at every meal, and to be honest, I couldn't wait to get away from the dense bolillo bread present at every Spanish lunch and dinner. But as of now I'm in a good place; I don't believe that bread should be wasted as a middle man and no good bread comes in the shape of a rectangle. So if you're going to use it to make a sandwich, make a good one.
"The Good One"
  • 1 french baguette
  • marinated sliced mushrooms
  • brie
  • raspberry jam
  • 2 egg whites
  • basil
Slice baguette at an angle to get long slices, make it as thin as possible. Sauté or grill mushrooms until warm. On one bread side spread brie, on the other the jam. In between the two add the mushrooms and smoosh. Dip both sides of the assembled sandwiches into beaten egg whites. Griddle on both sides until tops brown.

Or you could always highlight a lovely baguette by making bruschetta.
"WYSK's Bruschetta"
  • organic cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic diced
  • fresh basil
  • oregano
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • baguette
Slice baguette to desired thickness. And toast in broiler or in frying pan until browned to your liking. Sauté oil, oregano, and diced garlic. Cut cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters, and add to the pan with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Only cook for 3-5 minutes, keeping the structure of the tomatoes. At the last second add shredded fresh basil, and spoon on top on toasts. Top with cheese if you like.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Spanish bread was my love until I was eating two loaves twice a day. Very bad. Now I avoid bread when possible. Great blog tho :) brucetta looks awesome.

Sarah

Oli Norwell said...

'the middle man to good things' - I like that.

I can see why you were so anti-bread post Spain.

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Festival Food Done Right

Festival Food Done Right