Sometimes it only takes an extra minute to bring your dinner to a higher level. This is such a case; it only takes a minute or two to cut some bread and serve it with this quick “dip,” yet doing so adds a little something extra to your presentation.
Most better Italian restaurants offer bread to nibble on while you browse the menu. They may even keep you stocked during the entire meal. Along with the bread – usually fresh and hot out of the oven, they’ll fill a plate with olive oil and perhaps some accompaniment. Take a look at the video below, then I’ll offer a few more thoughts on this.
Ingredients:
Loaf of good French or Italian bread
Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese, finely grated style
Options:
Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh ground black (or white) pepper
Basalmic vinegar
Getting it Done:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Slice bread on the diagonal in 1-2 inch slices, depending on your preference. Wrap bread in foil and bake until warm.
Transfer bread to serving dish (I prefer a bowl).
Bring bread, oil and flavorants to table. Pour generous portion of oil onto plate. Add large mound of Parmesan at one edge of plate. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Optionally, you can drizzle some basalmic vinegar through the oil or replace red pepper flakes with ground black or white pepper.
To eat, just dip the bread in the oil, then on top of the Parmesan. (The oil will capture the cheese.)
Whether you serve this as a starter or an accompaniment to the main course, this little trick is a great way to make your dinner just a little bit nicer. Try this with different additions, then let me know which you like best. Until next, time,
Play with your food!
Lane
Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.
Try adding some dry Italian spices to the oil. Been dipping into that for 40 years.
I do that, too! Thanks for suggesting…