crazysalad

Shh! Don’t Say It!

Since I am a little food-obsessed, for years my husband has been trying to convince me to start writing online.  And for years I have put it off.  But now I have found it--my calling, a reason to pick up my keyboard and start posting--bruschetta.

Bruschetta (n.)– a simple Italian appetizer of grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.   Often topped with chopped tomatoes or a variety of other ingredients.

Bruschetta mania seems to be overtaking America as thoroughly as the tiramisu craze of a decade or two ago.  And who can blame us for embracing this dish.  It’s delicious.  So simple—the Italian version of garlic bread—yet so versatile.  You can top it with tomatoes when the summer bumper crop hits.  Or sprinkle it with parmigiano and melt it under the broiler.  With prosciutto and arugula it makes a nice open-faced sandwich.  I love it with fresh shell bean puree.  One of my favorite local restaurants even makes a sweet version of bruschetta (minus the garlic) with fresh figs, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. 

However, if we are going to appropriate this dish, I feel the least we can do is honor it by saying it correctly.  After all, you don’t like it when someone mispronounces your name, do you? 

If Americans can learn to say “espresso” instead of “expresso” (!), then we are ready to move on to another Italian language lesson.  Thanks to Jack in the Box we know how to say and spell ciabatta.  (Do you think they could help me with this campaign, too?)

So let’s try “bruschetta.” 
No, not broo-shed-uh.  Don’t say sh!  It's broos-KET-tah. You GET it?

This is Italian, not French (brochette).  In Italian, a –ch followed by –e or –I has a hard c sound.

For ex:
- zucchini (hear the hard “c”?)
- Chianti
- Zucchero (sugar, also the name of an Italian pop singer)

Thus, the –ch in bruschetta has a hard c sound (as in the English “school”).

So the next time you order (or make it yourself), say broos-KET-tah, with the accent on the second syllable, and then I won't have to roast you over the coals.

Broos-KET-tah!
Broos-KET-tah!

Bruschetta.

About crazysalad

My name is Angie and I love food.  I’m not an expert, just a home cook who probably spends more time reading about food than actually cooking it.  I love poetry, cookbooks and weblogs with great photos.  I also love to travel and to eat out.  I’m very adventurous and always eager to try new things.

When I cook, it’s usually pretty simple fare.  In general, I prefer things that aren’t too complicated or take too much time.  What I do care about is the quality of the ingredients.  Fresh.  Local.  Sustainably grown.  When inspiration hits, however, I go completely overboard and make the most complex dish imaginable, all from scratch, refusing to cutting any corners. Then I’m willing to drive all over the county to look for ingredients and to spend all day in the kitchen preserving lemons from my backyard tree, grinding my own flour, or making fresh pasta.

I would describe my tastes as simple, but with a wild streak.

“It’s certain that fine women
Eat a crazy salad with their meat.”

I chose the name crazysalad because I think it aptly sums up who I am and what I like about food.  (I’ll save the deeper literary analysis about Yeats and his attitudes toward women for another time.)  I just like the imagery and attitude it conveys:

Wild and unpredictable.  Something besides meat and potatoes.

Healthy and delicious.  Salads are simple, healthy fare.  A crazy salad is healthy, but creative and full of unexpected ingredients. No iceberg lettuce here, baby.   

Variety.  Remember that concept of America as a melting pot and the alternate view of it as a salad bowl?  I prefer the latter, a colorful blend of bright colors and textures, where every ingredient matters.

Welcome to crazysalad.  What are you waiting for?  Dig in!