Bruschetta Three Ways

Here is another easy, quick recipe that I hope you will try. These are three finger foods great to make for entertaining that all go well together. The peppers recipe is a modified version of a similar one from Ina Garten. The olive tapenade is a recipe I made up, a copy of what I remember Jac's in Cleveland doing. The tomato bruschetta recipe is the classic American version of this treat. All three are great for serving guests with cocktails before going out, or staying in, for dinner.

Should you be tiring of my simple recipes, worry not. Christmas is only about 10 weeks away and I will merrily be posting many great holiday treats and crafts. Like gingerbread houses. Those are neither quick nor terribly easy.

All three of these, along with the toasts, can be prepped, cooked and assembled in under an hour. They should serve 6-8 people with cocktails.

The Bread

1 baguette
Olive oil, filtered or unfiltered
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450F.

First, take a baguette and slice it into thin rounds 1/4-1/2 inch thick. You will get 30-40 slices from an ordinary baguette. Place in a single layer on a dry cookie sheet.



Brush the bread slices lightly with olive oil. Season lightly with some kosher salt and a few grinds of the peppermill.



Bake in the hot oven until golden brown and toasted dry, about 8-15 minutes depending how moist the bread was. The mositure should be baked out of the toasts or else they will be tough when cool.



Once out of the oven, allow the bread to cool on the cookie sheet then set aside to dress with the following toppings.

Olive Tapendade

15 pitted Kalamata olives
1 medium clove garlic
4 sun dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp unfiltered olive oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Chop the olives until they are between a mince and a dice.



Set aside in a small mixing bowl.



Mince the garlic and add to the chopped olives.



Chop the sun dried tomatoes to the same texture as the olives and add to the bowl.



Add the pepper and olive oil and stir to combine well. Cover and set in the refrigerator to keep cool.





Tomato Bruschetta

3-4 Roma tomatoes
1 medium clove garlic
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 oz. Romano, shredded
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Few grinds freshly ground pepper

Core and dice the tomatoes and set aside in a mixing bowl.



Mince the garlic and add to the tomatoes.



Chop the parsley leaves and add to the mixing bowl.



Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and combine well. Cover and set in the refrigerator to keep cool.




Roasted Peppers and Chevre Bruschetta

1 Tbsp olive oil, filtered or unfiltered
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
Kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp capers, drained
8 basil leaves, chiffonade
2 oz. chevre (goat cheese)

Core and seed the peppers.



Slice into thin strips.



Heat the olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold all the peppers without cramping. Once the oil is hot, almost to the somoking point, add the peppers all at once. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes then add the sugar. Cook another 5 minutes until the peppers have carmelized and look deeply roasted. Remember, the peppers need to be cooked enough that they are maleable and fit on a toasted slice of baguette. Large, hard pieces of pepper will make assembling the bruschetta more difficult. Add the capers and saute a few minutes more. Add the basil and remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble the bruschetta.



To assemble:

Scatter the cooled toasts on the tray on which you will serve these. Top each toast with a heaping teaspoon of olive tapenade, chopped tomato mixture, or the pepper mixture. All three mixes should make about 40 toasts. Sprinkle some freshly grated Romano on the tomato toasts and use a fork to break a little piece of chevre onto the roasted pepper topped toasts. Serve.

Perfect Spaghetti & Meatballs

What is more basic and warm for an autumnal weekday dinner than spaghetti and meatballs? This simple, no-frills version has all the flavors one expects from this dish without adding any "signature touches" or incorporating any vapid culinary trends. In fact, this recipe was formulated by reading countless spaghetti and meatball recipes and reducing them to what was really important for the dish. Try this the next time you're not sure what to make but want to keep it easy. Or the next time you want to be a Nigella Lawson cookbook photo come-to-life: happy in the kitchen, drinking a glass of Chianti, gingerly crafting a dish you know will turn out perfectly. You won't be disappointed. Neither will the rugrats. Just keep them out of the Chianti, depending on your parenting style.

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or 1/2 pound each ground veal, pork and beef)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 large (2 small) clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
1-2 Tbsp olive oil, filtered or unfiltered
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 large (3-4 small) cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup beef stock (low sodium if not homemade)
28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/4 cup or a small handful loosley packed parsley leaves, chopped
8 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Pasta:
3/4 pound dried spaghetti
kosher salt

For Serving:
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Crusty baguette

Preheat oven to 425F.

Place the meat in a large glass mixing bowl. Add the Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, oregano, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper.



Thoroughly mix by hand or with a fork.



Roll into 1-2 inch meatballs and place on a foiled, oiled or non-stick cookie sheet. You will end up with about 16 meatballs. Bake 12 minutes. Bigger meatballs will require longer.

While those bake, heat a pot over high heat in which to make the sauce. Add the oil and swirl it around the hot pot. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and reduce the heat to medium. Saute about 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant. Always take care to not burn garlic.


Stir in the beef stock and the tomatoes, hand crushing the tomatoes as you add them. (It is possible to use a can of already crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzanos, if you want a smoother sauce.) Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.



Add the parsley and basil and cook 5 minutes more. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer another 5 minutes.



Meanwhile, place a large pot of water over medium-high heat to boil for the spaghetti. Generously salt the water. A pinch, or even a teaspoon, won't work here. You will need to add a full tablespoon or more of kosher salt depending on the amount of water. Taste the water; it should taste like the ocean. Once at a roaring boil, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain. Never, ever rinse pasta! Rinsing pasta strips away the starch so that the sauce cannot stick to the noodles.

Toss the hot drained pasta with a couple ladles of the sauce. Transfer the pasta to a pasta platter. Top with the meatballs and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with some cheese and pass the rest at the table. Serve with a crusty baguette, green salad and plenty of dry red wine.



You should be able to prep and cook this meal in an hour.

Serves 4-6. Or 3 big Italian-American men.