I’ll never forget the time when a group of friends I walked down to the little market down the street from our dorms. We picked up some of the best bread I have ever had, a bottle of probably cheap Italian wine and some fresh cheese. It was right at dusk, the air was crisp after a very sweltering, hot day in Florence, Italy. We walked over to a beautiful park in the middle of the city, broke bread together and drank wine. It was one of the most simple meals, but incredibly tasty and unforgettable.
Freshly baked bread is a hard commodity to find in the states. Most breads sold at supermarkets are packed with preservatives to increase shelf life, also contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and many other unnatural ingredients. The ingredients are not fresh and the taste is mediocre. REAL Italian Ciabatta bread is made with Flour, salt, yeast, water and olive oil. Simplicity at its finest.
This recipe takes me back to Italy, where you will only find the freshest ingredients. You can enjoy this as a side dish or make as a beautiful presentation for an appetizer.
Homemade Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto Crostini
Ingredients
- Kale pesto or pesto of choice
- 1 loaf of Freshly baked Ciabatta Bread or French Bread
- 1 log of Buffalo Mozzarella
- 1 Jar of Roasted Peppers (Trader Joes has a good one!)
- A bottle of Chianti or your favorite red
- Music… Andrea Bocelli or Sinatra
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425
- slice bread and layer on a baking sheet
- spoon on pesto
- Slice mozzarella and layer on top of pesto
- add roasted peppers on top
- Bake for 12 min
Make it a meatless Monday and add a simple green salad! Enjoy and Salute!
