An antipasto is a starter or an appetizer that comes before a meal, but it can also be a snack or a light meal in itself. Bruschetta is an antipasto.
For those of us who are used to pizza and pasta as main Italian meals in themselves, it may come as a surprise that pasta is a “primi“, the first course in an Italian meal, which is followed by a “secondi“, the second course of meat or seafood. The “controni” is a side dish which goes with the second course. The “insalata” is a salad which follows the second course. “Formaggie” and “Frutta” are simply cheese and fruit served after the main meal. “Dolce” is dessert, “caffe” is coffee. And finally there is “digestivo” an alcoholic drink to help you digest all of the above (source: Cucina Toscana, toscanaslc.com)
It’s actually not as overwhelming as the 10-course Chinese dinner, which also has a proper order of dishes, served one after another.
It has been two months since HomeBlog was launched to foster interest in homemaking in Singapore. We didn’t know what to expect in terms of how well it would be received. To our surprise, we have had visitors to the Blog from over 20 countries. The other surprise was that the country with the second largest number of visitors to the Blog is Italy. (Most of the visitors to the Blog are from Singapore, of course). Audrey, a Singaporean studying in Italy, deserves credit for her marketing skills. She has been a great support in publicising the Blog. She managed to persuade Laura, an Italian student from Apricena, who studies translation to contribute an Italian recipe. Audrey and Laura are participating in a language exchange programme. The recipe Laura chose is very appropriate for the Lunar New Year. Bruschetta (with fresh tomatoes) is red – the auspicious colour for celebrations.
A Simple Italian Dish
Recipe contributed by Laura Tartaglia
Here’s a simple Italian dish that you can try at home: bruschetta (pronounced brusketta not brushetta)! In Italy we have it as an appetizer or as a light dinner with mortadella, prosciutto, mozzarella, and salami.
Italian bruschetta recipe
1. Slice a loaf of bread. If the slices are big cut them in half and grill them on both sides for 7-8 minutes in the oven at 200°C.
2. Meanwhile dice some fresh tomatoes, put them in a bowl, and add some olive oil, oregano, fresh basil, and a little bit of salt. If you like, you can add 1 or 2 cloves of chopped garlic or rub the garlic on the bread after toasting for flavour.
3. When the bread is ready put the tomatoes on it and, if you like, put some more olive oil.
Posted by Chayo, Homskil Editor 1, 24 February 2021
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