Bruschetta with White Beans

Just when you thought bread couldn’t get any better…

Enter grill marks, fresh garlic, and olive oil…

This, my friends, is bruschetta.

Dom scooted to Lowe’s the other day to pick up some much needed tools for the trimming adventure he’d been planning for weeks, and in usual Dom fashion, he departed Lowe’s with not only his new tools, but two huge bags of charcoal briquettes. “There was a big sale – two bags for ten bucks.” He couldn’t resist. Although not on the list, his spontaneous purchase turned out to be a small blessing – these briquettes inspired me to prepare this antipasti which also caused me to linger over a special memory from over a year ago…

On a sunny March afternoon, after sitting for a spell on the Spanish Steps, and building our hunger for a late lunch that was sure to commence with bread, we slipped down a quiet Roman side-street and parked our bodies at the first table we saw with a welcoming checkered table cloth. This table sat just outside the restaurant’s front door, under an awning, situated very cozily between two other small round tables with their own mismatched chairs and patterned table cloths. We were seated so closely to the people next to us, we could have easily participated in their conversation, thing was, we didn’t understand a word they were saying – but it all sounded so important! Have you noticed that? When listening to folks speak a language that is not your own, everything sounds urgent and dramatic. For all we knew, they were discussing the paper towels and toothpaste they needed to pick up on their way home from lunch. It was perfect…our snug setting, with its little bouquet of plastic flowers, grated cheese and lesson in Italian…we were ready for anything.

Of course, we knew bread was coming, but we couldn’t have imagined the gastronomic treat we were about to receive. Italian bread, sliced on the diagonal, small amounts of char, a slight aroma of garlic and a slick of olive oil. Heaven. And though toasted bread with garlic and oil is always enough, sometimes a couple beans, a little more garlic, some dried oregano and a shake of red pepper flakes can take it from very good to very great. And it does.

Grilling the bread for bruschetta is the traditional way for making it, however, you can always toast it in the oven. It can be served hot or at room temperature and you can include just about any topping that provides different flavors, textures and colors.

 

 

Grill or toast your bread for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

 

 

Side-note: I happen to love burnt toast, so if what you see here is a little too toasted – feel free to remove your bread from the grill once it’s reached your desired color.

 

 

Rub one side of each slice of bread with a cut piece of garlic and drizzle with olive oil.

 

 

And here’s where it gets really fun.  In a heavy skillet, over medium heat, add your olive oil and minced garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add your beans, some reserved bean liquid, dried oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix until heated through.

 

 

Put beans in a serving bowl, and place in the center of a platter.

 

 

Surround the bowl with your bruschetta.

 

 

And serve!

 

This savory dish makes for a perfect appetizer.

Buon Appetito!

 

 

Ciao!