Last Supper

Even Italian summer holidays have to come to an end and, last week, that end finally came.  The girls went back to school.  Half-days only at first, to help them get over the shock, I suppose.  We had a 'last supper' under the twinkling fairy lights marito has rigged up in the pine tree and talked about the highlights of the Summer, “getting my arm back” for the small one and “going to the sea’ for the tall one. So that’s that.  The long holiday is over for another year.

 Whooping with delight (they really were that bored), and dressed in clean ‘grembiulis’ (a kind of apron favoured by all Italian schools) and loaded down by the obligatory enormous ‘zainos’ (rucksacks), the girls fairly ran into school that first morning.  They left us light with relief and freed of responsibility, a celebratory cappuccino was definitely in order.

Grembiuli 

But something else had happened, something subtle, a slight shift of sensibilities. At the school gates we were no longer known as ‘stranieri’ (foreigners - that strange and wary word), but with some slight affection we seem to have become ‘Inglesi’ (English) and that, for me at least, is triumph enough.  Because I know what the locals have always known: that no matter how wide our vocabulary, how good our accent, what team we choose to support or the depth of our tans, deep in our souls we will never be Italian.
But that’s OK by me, just give me a cappuccino and I’m happy to watch.  After all, they are so much better at it.

The best thing I ate today;

More bruschette! Yes I know I’ve been banging on about bruschette all Summer and, if truth be told, I am a little obsessive when it comes to food.  I get kind of stuck in a groove, the impulse to keep on perfecting a recipe takes over and, before I know it, we are eating bruschette every day of the week.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s delicious in all its forms and makes a perfect, healthy lunch, or antipasti, or breakfast, or dinner… midnight snack anyone?

Here they are, the last of the Summer season, until next year.

Bruschette con pepperoni

3 red peppers
Olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar (but there’s no need to take out a loan)
A teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
1 glove of garlic peeled and cut in half
6 slices of country bread

De-seed the peppers and cut them into strips.  Heat some olive oil in a heavy based pan and sauté the peppers until they begin to soften, then add the balsamic vinegar and the thyme leaves. Continue to cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes (the idea is that the peppers begin to caramelize) but add a little water if they get too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Meanwhile toast your bread (try and use a griddle if possible because I’m sure it tastes better) rub one side of the toast lightly with the garlic, pile on the peppers and drizzle over with a little more olive oil.

Bruschette con spinaci

3 handfuls of left over spinach
Olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Nutmeg
1 glove of garlic peeled and cut in half
6 slices of country bread

Re-heat the spinach in a heavy based pan, stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add a good grating of nutmeg.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toast bread as before and rub lightly with the garlic. Pile on the spinach and drizzle with more olive oil.

Bruschette con pomodori

Surely everyone knows how to make this.  If not, email me.

Comments

[Amanda @ A Tuscan view...]

Ciao tutti, thanks for all the comments.
Guess what I've got some great bruschette for Autumn (fall!) coming up, I'm thinking beans, I'm thinking greens!

[michelle of bleeding espresso]

Love red peppers, especially with bruschetta. And that's the loveliest rendition of the grembiuli I've ever seen.

[Cherrye at My Bella Vita]

Fun end of summer party! The bruschetta looks GOOD. I love that stuff!!

[Antonina]

Cara Amanda,
loved the aprons for school I vaguely recall wearing a little checkered one for Nursery school in Sicily.
Your love of food and the acceptance of cultural differences is so refreshing.
You must try bruschette with grilled eggplant and those dry looking black olives { olive secco}and capers. enjoy the warmth of the Italian fall days and soft balmy nights.

[Karen Cole]

Well, hello again, Amanda and Julian!

Arrived home on Sunday evening and haven't had time to think, let alone check the blogging world.

I was so pleased to have met you both. Sorry that I didn't have a camera to better chronicle the moment. Sorry that I didn't have the time to sit down for a cup of ......anything. Would have loved to have seen the work you are doing to your home.......next time.

The two "aprons" make me smile. I'm so glad that your children got off to a good start. There is nothing better for parents.

.....and dam, somehow I am now hungry for some reason.

Until we meet again, see you in bloglandia!

xoo Karen

[joe@itayville]

I love bruschetta in any flavor.... yours look delicious! and yes... the summer has come to an end once again but ya gotta love fall:)

[Monika]

Hi Amanda :)
Great blog!! I make bruschetta all the time but have never tried it with peppers...guess what we are having tonight ;)

[Barbara]

Bruschetta is fine for me...any time, any day...even more than once a day! Right now we're savoring the last of the local tomatoes...hard to believe summer is over, isn't it? On to the new oil! More bruschetta! Yeah!

[Kim]

Oh man, now I'm hungry. Have done different variations of the peppers but never thought about the spinach - sounds good. I'm thinking maybe with a little ricotta salata (sp) on top or feta.

We've been back to school for a few weeks now and actually, this was the first year we started with a half-day too.

[nyc/carribean ragazza]

I agree this is not a bad groove to be in. ha

Looks delicious.

[casalba]

That's not a bad groove to be in. (Thought you had a flowering pine tree for a moment.)

[Isabel]

Awww...I wore one of those "grembiulis" in school in Portugal when I was a kid. This brought back memories! And I do know exactly how you feel with kids getting back to school...mine are 12 and 17 and I still feel the same way ;).
In Portugal we used every opportunity we had to have cappuccino(or "Bica" as we call it in Lisbon), but now, if I have more than one strong one ...I'll be hyper all day.
I have to try your bruschette recipes-you made me hungry ;)

[Rosaria]

Bruschette...almost my favourite food in its infinite seasonal variations. So delighted your children are settled and accepted at school. That's a huge hurdle to get over. Integration in the community is essential nourishment for the soul.

[erin :: the olive notes]

BORED?!?! Well at least they were looking forward to going back to school? We always talk about your bruschette...some of the best we've had :)