SUMMER FRESH TOMATO and KALAMATA OLIVE BRUSCHETTA

This is a lovely bruschetta recipe packed with flavour.  Fresh tomatoes, a dash of garlic to keep away the vampires, and a mixture of fresh herbs that give a je ne sais quoi character to the appetizer, something that all good appetizers should have just to add a zany quality to your party! 

There is lots of fresh basil and parsley here. I decided to give it a Greek twist by adding some Kalamata olives, and then, at the last minute, I decided to throw in some capers. To top, I used one of my favourite cheeses, Pecorino Romano, freshly grated. I had some anchovies in the cupboard and I thought why not? For a few of the appetizers, I omitted the cheese and used an anchovy as a topping. Why? Because my guests deserve it, that's why! 

This recipe makes lots of appetizers, however, go ahead and adjust quantities as you need to. Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

• 5 ripened plum tomatoes 
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• just a few Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
• some capers, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

• fresh basil sliced chiffonade style
• freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese  
• anchovies

Ingredients for the bread:

• Bread, cut into slices for serving. You could save your stale bread, cut it into slices and store it in a plastic bag until ready to use, and at that time you can lightly toast it.
• some olive oil 
• about one or two cloves of garlic 

Directions:

• Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Rinse the tomatoes under cold running water to make sure all the seeds are gone, and then dry with paper towels. Once the tomatoes are dry, dice them up.    
• Make a dressing by mixing the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. 
• In a medium-sized bowl mix the shallots, tomatoes, capers and olives. 
• Pour the dressing over the tomato mixture and mix. 
• Set aside for about 3-4 hours. Do not refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Right before the bruschetta is to be served, top each bread slice with a little olive oil and place them in the oven. Toast lightly. 
• Once the bread is out of the oven rub some garlic on each slice. 
• Top with the bruschetta.
• Top with the basil chiffonade 
• Top some slices with freshly grated Pecorino Romano 
• Top a few slices with anchovies. 
• Arrange on a platter and serve.

It's a promise: you'll enjoy biting into the crunchy slices of bread, and you'll savour the medley of fresh herbs and vegetables that make up the delicious je ne sais quoi character of this treat! 

CHARLOTTE BRONTË'S JANE EYRE AND MY GIFT OF A DELICIOUS BOWL OF PORRIDGE FOR LITTLE JANE!

Charlotte Brontë, (Born 21 April 1816 - Died 31 March 1855)

Portrait by George Richmond, 1850, chalk

National Portrait Gallery, London

Brontë's publisher, George Smith, commissioned this portrait of the novelist as a gift for the author's father. 

What am I reading?  For this edition of Novel Food, the internet book club hosted by Simona from Briciole, I am rereading "Jane Eyre." Then, I am cooking porridge, a nice version of porridge, and nothing resembling the stuff poor Jane had to eat during the Brocklehurst regime at Lowood. Consider this porridge as my present to little Jane, who suffered much but never gave up her quest to find independence and love. 

A plainer version of porridge and another version with more bells and whistles. Recipes can be found here:

Charlotte Brontë’s "Jane Eyre" is just about my favourite novel. I first read it when I was a child living in Greece, and, of course, it was the Greek translation I read. Reading the beautiful Brontë Victorian English came later, after I had become fluent in English. I've picked up and read the novel many times since, most recently just a few weeks ago when a friend mentioned to me that she was rereading it.  

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question. I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed."

This is the opening paragraph of the novel, which right away describes the melancholy mood of Jane Eyre, the novel's main character.  We understand the loneliness and unhappiness she feels while living with the Reed family. They neglect her and torment her. Eventually, her Aunt Reed ships Jane off to Lowood, a school run by the cruel Mr Brocklehurst. He is so stingy that he nearly starves his students. During Jane's first day at the school, breakfast is a ration of badly cooked porridge that's burned and inedible. Brocklehurst is eventually removed from his position, and Jane grows up to become a teacher at the school. She then finds employment as a governess at Thornfield, where she falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester. He loves Jane as well and proposes marriage to her. The problem is that Mr Rochester already has a wife, albeit one who is quite insane and violent. Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, the mentally disturbed wife is locked up in the attic at Thornfield. Jane discovers this while she is standing next to Edward Rochester, at the altar, ready to marry him. He suggests that they run away together, but Jane is able to reign in her passion and resist the temptation of becoming his mistress. She leaves Thornfield in secret and begins a long voyage that eventually leads her to happiness. Bertha Rochester, the nutty wife, sets fire to Thornfield. Mr Rochester is injured in the fire and becomes blind (temporarily). He also becomes a bachelor, free to marry. Jane still loves him desperately, and her passion is rewarded because destiny brings them back together. Jane and Edward Rochester marry. At the end of the novel, we find her enjoying the love that he is offering her. She has children, and she is enveloped in the warm family atmosphere that she had sought since childhood. 

A rare first edition copy of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre sold as part of Bonhams' Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Historical Photographs auction, held on June 19, 2013 in London. The book sold for £39,650 ($61,949).

I'm sure that Jane and family had porridge for breakfast often, just as I am sure that it was a well-cooked offering and nothing like what Jane had to eat when she was a child!  

Brontë Parsonage Museum, the former Brontë family home, the parsonage in Haworth, West Yorkshire, England, where the Brontë family lived and where the Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, wrote their famous novels.

You can find my recipe for porridge here.

PORRIDGE or OATMEAL with RAISINS and FRUIT

PORRIDGE!!!  A dish made by cooking oats in boiling water and milk. 

Add some type of sweetener, maybe a little fruit as well, and you're in business.  You have a super breakfast.  In England this is porridge. In the US, it's oatmeal.  

Here are some quick facts about porridge or oatmeal: eating a bowl of oatmeal every day can lower blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. That's because oats are high in complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fibre. They also contain more protein than any other cereal.  

Oats ready for harvesting

Oats are processed by de-husking oat grains to get to the oat groats, the seed inside the husk. The groats are then milled to produce oatmeal. 

To make rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats), whole oat groats are steamed and flattened.  

Quick oats are rolled oats that have been cut into small pieces. 

Instant oatmeal is oatmeal that is pre-cooked and dried. 

Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats that have been cut into pieces or have been broken during the de-husking process. They are chewier and have a nuttier flavour.  

Gruel is a thinned-out porridge made by mixing oatmeal (or other cereals) with cold water. The oatmeal is then strained out and the water is heated and sipped. Once upon a time gruel was used for medicinal purposes and was also a staple food during hard times.    

 

Here, Charles Dicken's character, the orphan Oliver Twist, who is starving, dares to ask for some more watery gruel. A famous scene from the movie "Oliver!" 1968, Columbia Pictures. 

I have oatmeal for breakfast several times a week.  I prepare it much the same way as in the recipe below. The difference is that time doesn't permit me to add the apple topping every day. Instead, I mash a banana and mix it into the oatmeal to make a perfect, warm, and delicious weekday breakfast. 

 
Recently, I read a study that convinced me of the importance of breakfast. Research presented at a scientific session of the American Diabetes Association showed that there is a relationship between morning eating habits and the development of type II diabetes. The research revealed that people who ate breakfast 5 times or more per week had a 31% reduction in type II diabetes risk. They also gained less weight. So make sure you eat breakfast and choose oatmeal often. Breakfast, and oatmeal for breakfast, have too many health benefits to pass up. 

 
Here's my recipe for PORRIDGE or OATMEAL with RAISINS and FRUIT:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup milk of your choice

2 cups water

a little salt to taste

1/2 cup steel-cut oats

3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats)

1 tablespoon honey (or how about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup? That would also be perfect) 

1 banana, chopped into small pieces

If it's the weekend, make stewed apples!

Directions:

Make the stewed apples:

1 or 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup water
a pinch of cinnamon
a few raisins 

a few blueberries (they will give a pink colour to the apples)

the juice of half a lemon

The apples get a lovely pink hue that's imparted from the blueberries as they cook.

Mix all the ingredients except the blueberries into a medium saucepan. Cook on low heat stirring frequently. In about 20 to 30 minutes the liquid should be absorbed, the raisins will be plump, and the apples will be soft. Your oatmeal topping will be ready. No sweeteners are needed here because the fruits themselves are plenty sweet. How about the blueberries? Add those at the last minute, otherwise, they will dissolve as they cook. 

Cooking the oats:

Into a medium saucepan, add the water, milk, and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer. 

Add all the oats and lower the heat. Cook the oatmeal for 20 minutes, maintaining a slow simmer and stirring frequently. Near the end of cooking the oatmeal will start to thicken and bubble. That's the time to add the banana. Throw it in there and mash it up. Stir until the oatmeal is cooked, and turn off the heat. 

Add the honey and mix again. Spoon the porridge into bowls and let it sit for about a minute. 

Rolled oats, steel-cut oats, and a mashed banana. This is oatmeal perfection!!!

If it's one of those days when the stewed apples have been made, use them as a topping.

Drizzle with a little more milk.  Ready to eat!