The Knife For Life Blog

Bruschetta is a simple appetizer that would go great with almost any pasta dish or almost any Italian dish for that matter. Most of you will think of the tomato basil topping when you think of bruschetta but there are other variations. Bruschetta is actually just grilled bread rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Other variations you might know are topped with olives, peppers, beans and cheeses. This version has proscuitto and arugula. A wonderful salt and peppery blend.

Proscuitto Bruschetta with Arugula
Serves 4-6

Tools needed:

- 8 inch scalloped offset knife

Ingredients:

- 8 slices of any type of Italian bread sliced into 1/2 inch slices.*

- proscuitto (about 1/3 lb or roughly 2 packages)

- 4 cloves of peeled garlic

- good olive oil ( In my opinion this makes or breaks your bruschetta, splurge when you buy your olive oil. )

- 1/2 cup arugula

- fresh ground pepper

- fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Toast the bread in the toaster or pan fry on the stove until brown.

2. Remove the bread immediately and rub with garlic over the entire surface.

3. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the top of each slice of bread.

4. Top sliced bread with a slice of proscuitto and arugula.

5. Sprinkle some cracked pepper and parmesan on top of the arugula. Serve immediately.

6. Enjoy.

*You can use almost any type of bread. I like getting my bread from Vons. They have a pretty decent bakery. Nothing incredible but pretty good for a big box grocery store. Their Artisan Como and Pulgliese bread is to die for!

Nothing beats a lovely pasta dish after a hard day’s work. It’s a quick and easy dish anyone can whip up in thirty minutes. I usually make a pasta with a red sauce but I decided to mix things up and try one of Martha’s recipe from her “Everyday Food: Great Fast Food” cookbook. It has about 250 recipes broken up groups of the four seasons using different cooking techniques during different times of the year. I grabbed a copy at my local Costco a while back and it’s been sitting there collecting dust.

The particular recipe I had my eye on tonight was Linguine with Sausage and Peppers. I don’t know why but I love linguine pasta. Maybe that’s the Asian side in me coming out or something. Who knows but those flat long pieces of pasta are delish! I will tell you that I was a little hesitant of this recipe because of it’s lack of use of olive oil. Instead, they called for butter. I’ve never used butter in my pasta but I thought I’d give it a try. The outcome? A delicious dish!

Linguine with Sausage and Peppers
by Martha Stewart from Everyday Food: Great Fast Food
Serves 6

Tools needed:

- 8 quart pot

- 4 inch Paring knife

- 7 inch Santoku

Ingredients:

- Course salt and fresh ground pepper

- 1 pound linguine

- 1 pound turkey sausage casings removed (I used spicy italian)

- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced

- 4 yellow or red bell peppers, ribs and seed removed, thinly sliced

- 4 tablespoons butter

- 4 cups of arugula torn

Preparation:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta water; return the pasta to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, *cook the sausage and 2 tablespoons water in a large covered nonstick skillet over medium until the fat renders., about 5 minutes. Uncover; raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the sausage, breaking it up iwth a spoon, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, bell peppers, and 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water; cook until the peppers soften, about 6 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of pasta water and the butter; swirl to combine.

4. Transfer to the pot. Add the arugula; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Toss; add more pasta water as desired. Serve immediately.

5. Give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy this delicious meal you just prepared.

*I didn’t cook my sausage in water. I just cooked in in the pan over medium heat and followed the rest of the recipe.

Winter 2009 Recipe

Contributed by Edible Communities

• 4 cups (about 5 ounces) lightly packed arugula
• 2 small fennel bulbs (about 1 ½ pounds)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (preferably from Meyer lemons), plus more if needed
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
• ¼ pound Pecorino Romano cheese
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Arrange the arugula in a large, shallow salad bowl.

2. Cut the stalks off of the fennel bulbs. Remove the fronds from the stalks and set aside. Cut each bulb in half lengthwise through the root. Place each half cut-side-down on the cutting board, then cut in half lengthwise again. Cut each quarter into very thin slices cross-wise and scatter the slices on top of the arugula. Cut the fennel stalks into thin slices on the diagonal and scatter on top of the salad.

3. Sprinkle the olive oil, lemon juice and salt over the vegetables and toss gently. The salad should taste light and slightly lemony. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

4.  Using a potato peeler or cheese slicer, cut ribbons of cheese and scatter them on top of the salad. Sprinkle with the pepper and top with the reserved fennel fronds. Serve immediately.