Simple Cheese Bruschetta

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”-James Beard

Bruschetta is one of the simplest things in the world to make, and can be very satisfying if you have good extravirgin olive oil.

Hub loves these...and so do I...so just made them to go with some hot cocoa this evening. Because thats all the cooking I am doing for today, (smile) going out for dinner in the eve.

Simple Cheese Bruschetta
Ingredients-
(quantity depends on the number of people being served and the number of helpings each)

bread, ideally freshly sliced Tuscan bread garlic extra-virgin Olive oil ripe tomatoes
cheddar cheese slices
dried oregano flakes

Method-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the sliced bread with the olive oil.
On a lined cookie sheeat, place the bread slices and toast in the oven for about 5 mins.
Now, gently rub them with a cut clove of garlic.
After rubbing the slices with the garlic, rub them with a very ripe cut tomato as well.
Place a cheese slice on top of this bread and place in the ovenh again for a minute.
Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle some oregano on the bruschettas.
Cut the slices in half, and serve.

This goes to the Bread Mania event hosted by Sindhura (of BayLeaf).

This also goes out to Cooking For Kids- Milk event, held at Neivedyam, to Sindhi Rasoi ; and to
and to a dear friend, Harini/Sunshinemom (of ToungeTicklers) for FIC-Yellow.

-----------------

Also I want to take this oppurtunity to thank all those who have recognized and awarded my efforts. Thank you once again for all the encouragement and belief in me- Sudeshna, Andhra Flavours, Usha ,Mediterranean Turkish Cook and Sahaja (most recent).

When I was given these awards I was fairly new to the blogging world. Now after three months (and after 50 posts) I finally pass the following awards to my friends and colleagues in the blogosphere. I am honoured and happy that I 've hit half a century here, and so sharing my happiness with you only doubles it ! :)

I pass the following Butterfly Award to some really colourful blogs of note--

Nihal, Usha, Andhra Flavours, Jenn, Teresa R, Barbara C. Thomas, Curry Leaf, Ann, Culinary Wannabe, The Key Bunch, AquaDaze, AK Mom, Pigpigscorner, Lore, Reeni.

I pass the following Lemonade Award to a few refreshing blogs I know--

Proud Italian Cook, Sudeshna, Sahaja, Arundhuti, Gattina, Tartelette, Yasmeen, Sangeeth, Soma, Rosa, 5 Star Foodie, AnuDivya, Medena, Srivalli , Harini.

(Only wish I could add more to the list of awardees...there are so many blogs I adore...I have increased the number to 15 instead of 10...and yet I wanted to add more, but I guess rules have been stretched and I don't really want to break them... sigh!)

The rules for the awards shared above, are as follows-

Add the logo in your blog.

Add a link to the person who gave you the award.

Nominate 10 other blogs of your choice.

Don’t forget to add links to those blogs in yours'.

Also leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.

If you already have received this award and its redundant, excuse me please. Its the thought that counts..isn't it!

Share the joy and have fun friends!

N.B. If anyone has any problem saving the pictures(award logos) as I have disabled right click on this blog,(out of fear of the stealth of pictures/material, happening in the virtual world these days); do get in touch with me and I will personally email it to you. My apologies for the inconvinience.

Fishy Tagliatelle with Tuna balls in Marinara sauce

“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.”

-William Shakespeare

Like many of my other blogger friends (now known and still being discovered..), I too am a self professed Italian food junkie. One Italian friend of mine,had playfully mentioned that there are three basic ingredients that are to be found in all Italian recipes--olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. I don't doubt him, but I really don't think thats' all..there is 'passion' !

Every food has its history that makes it rich and wonderful. Discovering these stories, the facts, the myths...its a joy untold for foodies. Because cooking isn't just about mixing ingredients...its magic, an alchemy of flavours...each dish prepared is a story in itself and the cook the author.


I made this Tagliatelle dish, inspired by David Rocco's La Dolce Vita ("Life is Sweet") that I had seen on T.V. one lazy afternoon while surfing channels (my favourite passtime..lol).


There are two kinds of Italian pasta--Pasta all'uovo, egg pasta such as tagliatelle, fettuccine, and whatnot and Pasta di semola di grano duro, made with semolina, water and a touch of salt.The former are flat and of varying width, while the latter comes in all sorts of shapes, from spaghetti to penne to cart wheels.
Tagliatelle are also commonly flavored with other ingredients, for example spinach, which turns them green, tomato, which turns them red, or squid ink, which turns them black. They are used for hearty fares and lasagne made with tagliatelle are just awesome.

Now a little 'interesting' something on Marinara Sauce-Marinara derives from the Italian word for sailor, marinaro. Due to these origins many people say that marinara sauce must contain something from the sea, usually anchovies. Actually this is not the case, the origins of marinara sauce are that it is the sauce that they made in Naples for the sailors when they returned from the sea.





Here's my favourite recipe for you.

Fishy Tagliatelle with Tuna balls in Marinara sauce

Ingredients-

For the Tuna balls--
1 cup flaked Tuna fish
2 tbsp parsley,chopped finely
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
2 small green chillies, minced
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

For the Marinara sauce--
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic sliced in half
4 large ripe tomatoes, pureed
3 basil leaves, washed, patted dry and chopped
salt & pepper to taste


For the Tagliatelle--
4 rolls of tagliatelle pasta, cooked in boiling water, drained and set aside


Method-
Tuna Balls
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and using a little water( if required), form a dough like consistency. Now make small balls out of this dough, and deep fry in cooking oil.

Marinara Sauce
Place garlic and olive oil in large sauce pan.
Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is soft and lightly browned.
Add the tomato puree, basil, salt and pepper.

Cook for a minute or two, then add the tuna balls.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Finally, on the serving plate lay the pasta/tagliatelle and pour the marinara sauce with the tuna balls on top of this pasta.

Ready to eat!!YUM.

I bring this dish to the Seven Fishes Feast thrown together, by Joe (of Italyville) and MaryAnn(of Findind La Dolce Vita).

What is the Seven Fishes Feast? Southern Italians around the world celebrate Christmas Eve with a Feast of the Seven Fishes, also known as La Vigilia (Italian: "the vigil").
It is a meal that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes.This celebration is a commemoration of the wait, Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.
It is quite paradoxically a period of abstinence for the Italians.

Why 7? There are many hypotheses for what the number "7" relates to, one being the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection.The traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.




It would be worth all the effort if you enjoyed reading the post, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I also send this to Truti (Recipe Center) for her Winter Treat Event.

This creative dish I made also goes to Lore (of Culinarty) for her Original Recipes monthly event.

I also send this to Presto Pasta Night hosted by Ruth (Once Upon A Feast)...the first one for Jan. 2009. :)