This Focaccia Bread is an easy, no-knead, tasty treat or side. A tantalizing Italian flatbread topped with rosemary, heirloom cherry tomatoes or olives. Perfect on its own, used to make Italian panini, or even used as a base for pizza. If you’ve never had homemade focaccia bread before, you’re missing out on a love affair you shouldn’t deprive yourself of. Every bite of that perfectly crispy, yet soft bread is a wonderland of discovery. You don’t need any special occasion for this bread, nor ...
Bruschetta/ Crostini/ Panini
For those of us who can live on cheese and bread alone, because bread is life! A lovely collection of mostly vegetarian Italian Bruschetta, Crostini and Panini Recipes. Garlic is king in these recipes.
Open Faced Tomato Avocado Sandwiches with Goat Cheese
The best open faced tomato sandwich made with thin slices of olive bread, slathered with a fancy creamy whipped goat cheese spread, then topped with the most fragrant juicy heirloom tomatoes you can get your hands on. Without any mayo at all! Perfectly ripe avocado slices make for a lovely addition, but totally optional. Finish your sandwiches with a fine coarse sea salt and your favorite herbs. Chives, thyme, cilantro or basil play nice here, or you could even sprinkle them with ...
Ciabatta Bread Recipe
An authentic Italian ciabatta bread recipe or slipper bread, originally from the Veneto, made with an overnight starter and cooked just like a pizza on a preheated pizza stone. Invented by Francesco Favaron in 1982, it is the perfect bread for sandwiches, bruschetta, panzanella, or just to dip in your favorite olive oil. Very easy to execute at home, but you will need to plan in advance for the starter or Biga. Don’t be intimated! This is a sticky wet dough, hence those nice coveted ...
Italian Antipasto Platter
An Italian style antipasto platter loaded with thinly sliced meats, smoked salmon, marinated veggies, crostini and cheeses. I’m totally convinced this is the ultimate way to entertain you guys! Hello Super Bowl party at the shack! The Antipasto platter or “ before the meal “ course might as well be your entree in our home! Filled with mostly store bought ingredients, like thinly sliced prosciutto wrapped around sea salt grissini, salami, roasted peppers, olives and artichokes. Easy, ...
Rustic Italian Crusty Bread Recipe Video
Easy and quick Italian rustic crusty bread at home, no knead, no machine, no dutch oven, with only 2 hour rise time. Made by hand, with active dry instant yeast, flour and water and baked on a hot pizza stone. I made us the perfect bread for soups, stews, bruschetta and to use for sandwiches / panini all week long. A spin on my Italian pizza dough, except I use warm water to make the bread. Mix together flour, salt and instant yeast and let it rise for 2 hours. Yes, just 2 hours for ...
Fig Jam Recipe ( Easy )
An easy homemade fig jam recipe, a divine marriage of sweet purple figs, tangy pomegranate and exotic Madagascar vanilla, sweetened with just a touch of wild honey. Let's talk about my obsession with figs and this easy fig jam recipe I threw together yesterday. I would like to brag about the fact that I actually picked every single one of those figs with my own little hands, like a boss! Thank you for the applause teeheehee I had to do it myself before mister Nutty the squirrel ...
Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
How to make easy tomato bruschetta, the authentic Italian appetizer with fresh basil, plus lots of toppings ideas! Before I get super excited about this to die for heirloom tomato bruschetta, I’d like to elaborate a little on the subject. Why? Because there seems to be a lot of confusion out there. So, what is bruschetta ? A grilled slice of crusty bread rubbed with garlic and brushed with a good extra virgin olive oil, then topped with your favorite things. In my case: heirloom ...
Grilled Bruschetta Panzanella Salad Recipe
How to make grilled Panzanella salad, one of the most delicious classic Italian bread salads, a Tuscan peasant dish worthy of royalty, traditionally made with day old bread. Because bread and tomatoes you guys! It really can't get any better than a bowl of this summer bruschetta panzanella salad and a pitcher of strawberry lemonade under the shade of the grapevine, outside my kitchen door. Two of my favorite things making the most beautiful mess of all. Grilled crusty bread, fragrant ...
Whipped Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe
Easy, Goddess whipped goat cheese crostini appetizers with fresh herbs! Let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects: How to make crostini and bruschetta talk! At the risk of being judged a bruschetta snob, I would like to reiterate the fact that crostini or bruschetta are not toast. They are grilled pieces of bread, with a charred smoky exterior and soft interior, rubbed nicely with a garlic clove, brushed with olive oil and then topped with some goodies of your choice. I’m sure we ...
Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese Panini Recipe
An Italian Grilled Cheese Panini, made with flavor loaded smoked mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts and baby spinach. These spinach artichoke grilled cheese panini are true Italian sandwiches. Crispy on the outside with creamy smoked mozzarella on the inside, hugging tightly with tender artichoke hearts and fresh baby spinach. Who can resist right ? Definitely not me. Grilled cheese panini, pizza and bruschetta are my weakness, and if I eat them they better be pretty amazing. For these ...