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Bruschetta Seasoning
In this country, when you hear the word 'Bruschetta' you’re likely to think about toasted Italian bread with a tomato spread. But, thinking that way is like thinking that ‘Pizza’ can only be topped with pepperoni and cheese. There are actually an unlimited number of ways to prepare Bruschetta.Bruschetta is a word that gets butchered on a regular basis. It’s pronounced "Broo-sket-ta" (the "sch" is pronounced like school) and not "brah-sheda".
The beauty of bruschetta is how easy it is to make, but there is no way to make a good bruschetta by using inferior ingredients. It boils down to how good the bread and olive oil are and the Italians have a rule of thumb on this -- "use day-old bread, month-old oil and year-old wine".
History of Bruschetta
Derived from the Italian word "bruscare" which means “to burn" or "heat in a fire". Marcella Hazan (1924-2013), the legendary cookbook author who changed how Americans cook Italian food, believed that bruschetta’s origins could be traced back certainly to the ancient Romans (27 BC - 1453 AD) and probably before that to the Etruscans (768 BC - 264 BC) who lived in what is modern day Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio. Food historians tell of the Romans testing the quality of freshly pressed olive oil by smearing it on a piece of fire-toasted bread for tasting. This is now a common practice in all the major olive-oil producing regions of Italy. They also speculate that the oil-soaked bread was first rubbed with a clove of garlic as a way to enhance the flavors of the oil. Others are of the opinion that bruschetta came from people trying to revitalize stale bread by soaking it with olive oil.The Differences Between Bruschetta, Crostini and Panini
To many Americans, there is some confusion when it comes to understanding the differences between bruschetta, crostini and panini. The best way to conceptualize these are to think of paninis as Italian-style sandwiches, bruschetta as grilled bread with toppings (like pastoral open face Italian sandwiches) and crostinis as more refined, smaller versions of bruschetta.A simple bruschetta is made from day old crusty Italian bread (this allows the breads natural flavors to emerge), cooked on a cast iron stove-top grill pan or toasted over a wood fire, then rubbed with garlic and blessed with olive oil. Crostini are brushed with olive oil before being cooked in the oven, or sauteed in olive oil.
Another difference between bruschetta and crostini is the bread used. Bruschetta generally use whole, wide slices approximately .5" to .75" thick of a rustic Italian or sourdough type bread. Crostini are sliced thinner and toasted from a smaller, round, finer-textured bread, more like a white bread baguette. For paninis use ciabatta, focaccia or sourdough bread.
When visiting Italy you might find yourself offered an antipasto (the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal) of four or five different crostini, no more than a couple of mouthfuls each. The small crostini are topped with meticulously prepared flavored toppings, such as a rich fig spread topped with goat cheese, creamy ricotta and sweet squash, or stewed grapes, prosciutto and ricotta salata or when the weather starts to turn cooler with finely chopped wild mushrooms seasoned with black pepper.
Bruschetta lends itself to a myriad of fresh and marinated toppings too, you’re likely to find it generously topped with either chopped, ripe tomatoes and basil, a purée of fresh fava beans and garlic, Greek salad, sun dried tomato spreads, flaky roasted white fish, or whatever vegetables are in season at the time.
Bruschetta can also be the base for a wide selection of savory toppings and served as an antipasto, first course, main course or light afternoon snack.
How to Use
This versatile bruschetta seasoning can be used in multiple ways. Our favorite way to use this seasoning is to steep 1-2 tablespoons of bruschetta seasoning in about ¼ cup of olive oil for 10-15 minutes and then mix it with 4 fresh, firm tomatoes, 2 fresh garlic cloves, 1 medium orange bell peppers, 1 small red onion, a small handful of fresh chopped basil and 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar. Add to your toasted bread of choice and you can also top with mozzarella cheese and sliced black or green olives.Add to any homemade spaghetti, pasta or rice dish for a delightful treat.
What's In It
Hand blended with tomato flakes, onion, chives, garlic, basil, celery seed, salt, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, paprika, black pepper, ginger, thyme, yellow mustard and cloves.Flavor Profile
Tomatoed flavor with onion, garlic and celery notes. You’ll will also pick up a slightly smoky undertone and just a very mild hint of heat.Related Blog Posts
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