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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Wanderlust and Garlic Bread

The last Friday in February, the book group met to discuss Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves.  The nonfiction story of a woman who realizes in high school that she has an irresistible itch to travel would not seem to be controversial.  The fact that she was incapable of doing so in the absence of a love interest in every locale was.

This book group is a fabulous circle of professional women--some originally from Alaska, one from New York, one from New Orleans--Alaska is fascinating in that sense, because maybe a quarter of the people I meet are originally from here.  We span a diverse group of ages, ethnicities and experiences, but we were all united in one respect:  none of us wanted to travel with this woman. 

Check out those fabulously colored rice cakes in the background, from one of
the three Korean bakeries in Anchorage.  Three?!?  Who knew?
I loved her writing, and as someone who has done more traveling in the last three years than in the previous (ahem) thirty-five, I understand the urge to hear different languages, immerse oneself in different cultures and be completely peripatetic.  However, must she act like an ugly American?  And why does finding herself mean that she has to pick up a different man in every location?  (I'm totally serious here.  In the second half of the book, I couldn't keep track of which guy she was talking about.)

In the end, the book was pretty much roundly denounced and the conversation turned to what made a great travel companion.  Well, that and the international variety of snacks that everyone brought in keeping with the book's theme.

So...garlic bread.  It's the humblest of foods, but I never want to eat another storebought loaf coated with what seems to be garlic-flavored Crisco.  I generally avoid it altogether in favor of roasted garlic cloves smeared on bruschetta.  However, Lidia Bastianich's garlic bread is simple, quick and feeds a crowd.  She has three variations in her book, one of which is a take on pan con tomate, but needless to say I'll wait until the tomatoes in Alaska look a little better before I try that one.

Garlic Bread Two Ways
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich's Italy in America

1 large loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise and cut into twelve pieces
3 tbsp. good-quality olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, finely shredded
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine the minced garlic and olive oil and allow to steep for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the bread pieces on it., crust side down.

Using a basting brush, brush the pieces thoroughly with the garlic oil.  Sprinkle half the pieces with the parsley and red pepper flakes, and the other half with the cheese.


Bake for five to eight minutes, until the slices are lightly browned.  Serve immediately.

32 comments:

  1. Oooh, I'll take garlic bread any which way! :)

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  2. favourite way to have bread looks wonderful

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  3. I love garlic bread especially with pasta dishes,looks yummy and garlicky :)
    Ridwan

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  4. Anything with butter and garlic is a winner! So, is Wanderlust a must read or not?

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  5. No store bought bread for me, homemade is the best there is as clearly shown in your pictures-yum!
    Interesting book,however, I would not want to travel with her either. Especially when you think of the saying "you are who you associate with" Have a great evening.

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  6. I sure want to give that book a read now! Heh. Butter and garlic make everything alright. The bread looks delish.

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  7. I don;t read much books for I prefer new paper and women's magazine most of the time. To this garlic bread, it will be a big yes, I mean plain bread all the time can be boring and the garlic as well as chilly flakes does bring out the lovely flavors we simply will drool.

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  8. Mmm! Love garlic bread! What a great way to get 2 variations in one! I've heard good things about Wanderlust, might have to give it a shot. :)

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  9. I LOVE garlic bread, and bread in general. I'm the kinda person who can tear off a hunk of plain bread and go to town. Starch = delicious!

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  10. The book sounds like a great read..... I've never been in a book club although you make it sound really fun. The garlic bread sounds yummy both ways. :)

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  11. I can make an entire meal out of that lovely garlic bread. :) I still think it's so cool you're in a book club... I need to stop reading only cookbooks. :)

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  12. I am a bread lover.I satisfy my craving for garlic bread by making my own garlic butter and putting on a regular bread. Next time I am going to follow your recipe and some cheese over it.

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  13. Love garlic bread anytime!So delicious and tasty.Way better to so, in this way than the store bought version!!

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  14. "I've got that wanderlust..." What a coincidence that should be GERMAN word! :) Great recipe, too!

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  15. What a great discussion you had! I love garlic bread and I can't tell you the last time I bought it...there's something so DELISH about the home made stuff and it's easy, peasy to make!

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  16. Garlic bread is such a weakness for me! The more garlic, the better!

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  17. I have friends that belong to book groups. Some books are well received, and others not so much, but they sure have a good time together.

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  18. Believe it or not, I'd never made homemade garlic bread until a month ago, but I wasn't happy with the results. I'll bookmark this recipe, and hopefully this one will turn out!

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  19. My mom used to always make garlic bread...we inhaled it! I need to treat my family :) Yours looks wonderful~

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  20. Loved reading your reading experience and book club discussions...sounds fun...I have never belonged to a physical bookclub, would love to one day. I also never buy garlic bread...it is so ridiculously easy to make why go for the chemical laden alternative? This recipe looks good...

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  21. I've not read that book yet. I may have to skip it if it's a bit confusing. I don't have the patience I used to with reading. I used to enjoy heavy, hard to read books. Now all I want is fluff. Weird how that happens. This garlic bread looks divine. Garlic bread is something I could eat all day every day. Lol!

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  22. Yum! I make garlic bread like this all the time and love it. I can't understand why people would buy the frozen stuff when this is so easy and delicious.

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  23. Book clubs are great :) Although mine has been on a bit of a 'depressing' run. I'll make sure we steer well clear of Wanderlust too. Fabulous garlic bread, darling!

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  24. I'd eat this garlic bread BOTH ways! :D

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  25. Thanks for turning me on to a new book! Sounds interesting. And, oh my god, there's nothing worse than a storebought garlic bread. I've never had a good one from a grocery bakery. But this homemade one, however, looks mouthwatering! Gotta try it.

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  26. Yummy! Home-made garlic bread does taste much better than store-bought since the flavors are more intense and fresh. Sometimes when I'm feeling mischievous, I'll swap the olive oil for butter. Divine!

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  27. This looks so much better than store bought - bookmarked an amazing recipe :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru
    Latest: Tropical Caramelised Baked German Pancake

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  28. Love garlic bread, and they are so good either as a snack or go with some simple veggie soup.

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  29. I always love a good book club book that can encourage discussion! It's amazing what good writing can do, even if you don't like or agree with the plot!

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  30. Perfect bread. Sends me back to Italy. Travelling without a love interest? Yay! It's possible!

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  31. Thanks for all the comments on my humble garlic bread! As for Wanderlust, I'm afraid it's a pass for me--the writer is a bit much of an ugly American for me.

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