4 sl Bread
Country-style; sliced 1/4″
-thick
1 Garlic clove; unpeeled
1/2 c Extra virgin olive oil; or
-more
Salt and pepper
Fettunta is a contraction of the word fetta, “slice,” and unta, “oily,”
1. Toast, grill, or broil the bread slices until lightly colored on both
sides. 2. Rub the garlic clove over the bread’s surface. The garlic will
grate itself on the hardened toast and the peel will disintegrate. Garlic
lovers should press hard.
3. Drizzle at least 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, barely enough for
any self respecting Tuscan, over each slice of toasted bread, sprinkle with
salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Description and Detail from Feniger: This is, without a doubt, my favorite
recipe in the world. It’s fast, simple, calls for no special equipment or
skills, has no cholesterol, and is open to seasonal adaptation with the
addition of numerous toppings. Diners always seem to be impressed.
: Bread is lightly toasted, rubbed with garlic, dipped in newly
pressed, bright green, peppery-flavored olive oil, sprinkled with salt and
pepper. It’s meatless, milkless, effortless, pleasing to even the most
jaded palates, and involves none of the fuss usually associated with garlic
bread
: Scouts can skewer their bread on a stick and toast over the
campfire.
: Unsalted rustic Tuscan bread, white or whole wheat, sliced about
3/4 inch thick is the bread of choice for olive oil millers, who created
this dish.
: Do-it-yourself bread bakers should refer to Carol Field’s “The
Italian Baker” (Harper Collins, 1986). But almost any basic, water-based,
butterless, country-style bread will do. A friend favors rye. Day old bread
is okay. And 1 slice per person may only be a beginning. First-rate virgin
olive oil is a must, otherwise you’ll end up with greasy bread instead of
fettunta. Newly pressed oil, called olio nuovo, easily recognizable by its
bright green color, cloudy with chlorophyll, found from late November
through January in Italy, yields spectacular results but any quality extra
virgin olive oil will do.
~ —– SOURCE: Good Food, a weekly radio show hosted by chefs Mary Sue
Milliken and Susan Feniger. KCRW 89.9FM in Los Angeles. This recipe from
“Red, White and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables.”
Yields
4 Servings