Fettunta (aka Bruschetta)

One of my Italian language pet peeves is when people mispronounce the word bruschetta.  The correct Italian pronunciation of bruschetta is broo-SKEH-tah, rather than the American pronunciation of broo-SHEH-tah.  However, we don't need to worry about pronunciation at all today because Cucina DiBella is moving into the region of Tuscany, or Toscana, where bruschetta is actually called fettunta.

Wherever you eat it, bruschetta or fettunta is really the original garlic bread.  Slices of bread drizzled with olive oil, toasted and then rubbed with garlic create the base for any version of fettunta.  However, from there you can get creative.  Most versions of bruschetta in America includes tomatoes.  The toppings for bruschetta can really be anything though.  Olives, roasted red peppers or cheese all make great fettunta toppings.  My personal favorite is a mixture of tomatoes, black olives, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil.

 

  

Fettunta (Bruschetta)

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread or similar Italian bread

1 garlic clove

olive oil for drizzling

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cup black pitted olives, chopped

2-3 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed

4-5 leaves fresh basil, minced or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. Slice the loaf of bread on a diagonal into about 1/2 inch slices.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for several minutes until lightly toasted, flipping the bread halfway through.  Peel the garlic clove and rub on one side of each slice of bread.
2. Combine the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil in a bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spoon some of the tomato mixture onto each slice of bread.

Ryan's rating of Fettunta - Actually, Ryan didn't have any of this.  I made some for lunch and didn't leave any for him! So, I'll have to give you my rating, which is a 4.  It would be a 5, but I didn't have fresh basil at home, so I had to use dried instead.

Comments

[Jeanne]

Poor Ryan. Also, we are still spreading the correct pronunciation thanks to your teaching...even when waiters and waitresses think we're crazy.