Italy, changing lives one dish at a time

“Ancora un pochino, per favore!” –Italian saying

If I could live anywhere in this world, I would live in Italy. There is nothing about that country that I do not love. I spent a little over a week there a few years ago. I may or may not have gained 5 pounds in that short time frame. And by that I mean... I did. I ate bread and pasta constantly, drank my fair share of wine and limoncello and ended every evening with a stop at the Gelato shop. I also learned one of the few Italian phrases that I know, “Ancora un pochino, per favore,” which means “A little more, please.”

I’m not daring enough to move there (mainly because I know virtually zero Italian). So instead, I will surround myself with their delicious cuisine to remind me of that magical land. (Just in case you haven’t picked up on that theme in my cooking choices yet.)

So I recently made some Bruschetta, which is one of my favorite Italian foods and conveniently vegetarian. It’s also one of the easiest dishes to make and doesn’t require many ingredients. This dish is meant to be an appetizer. I often intend it to be this way and then end up eating it until I’m full. It’s that delicious. I don’t use a certain recipe (which is how all the cool kids cook). But the main gist of it is below.

*Bruschetta*

Olive oil

Tomatoes

Onions

Basil

Salt

Pepper

Baguette

Mozzarella or parmesan cheese

Cut baguette into slices and place on baking sheet. Brush olive oil on both sides of baguette slices. Bake for 2 minutes on 400 degrees. Flip and bake for 2 more minutes. Mix tomatoes, onions, basil, salt and pepper. Put spoonful on each slice and bake for 1 minute. Sprinkle with your cheese of choice and serve!