When asked by NapaStyle in Yountville, CA to participate in their Culinary Program as a guest author, I was thrilled that I could share my passion and offer some secrets in tasting olive oil and creating healthy, tasty and easy to make recipes …using EVOO and NapaStyle products.  I shared how to make different variations of bruschetta using NapaStyle EVOO and products, including Sicilian Salt and Salsa Genovese. I explained that most people associate Bruschetta with a tomato topping, but did you know that Bruschetta is from the Italian verb brusciare – meaning to burn or toast.  In Italy, the basic Bruschetta recipe is:  toast the bread, rub with garlic, drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle salt.  However, Bruschetta can be a “carrier” for a number of different toppings and different variations.  Here are three:

Bruschetta #1:  Fett’unta  (The basic recipe) What you Need:

• Several cloves of fresh garlic
• Slices of country-style bread
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt (or NapaStyle Sicilian Salt)

How to Prepare:

• Grill the bread
• Rub the bread with a clove of garlic
• Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil on each slice of bread

Bruschetta #2:  Variation with Salsa Genovese What you Need:

• Slices of country-style bread
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• NapaStyle Salsa Genovese

How to Prepare:

• Grill the bread
• Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil on each slice of bread
• Top with NapaStyle Salsa Genovese

Bruschetta #3:  Tomato Bruschetta  (from my book, The Passionate Olive- 101 Things to do with Olive Oil, page 178) What you Need:

• 1 lb ripe tomatoes
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
• 1 handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• Pinch of peperoncino
• Salt and Pepper
• 6 slices of country-style bread
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How to Prepare:

• Immerse the tomatoes in hot water, then in cold water, and peel
• Chop tomatoes into small pieces and add garlic, basil, peperoncino, and salt and pepper
• Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and marinate at room temperature for at least one hour
• Just before serving, grill the bread
• Place each slice on a plate and top with the sauce or put the sauce in a bowl and let your guests spoon their own sauce onto their bread.