Calling all inexperienced cooks: this is by far the quickest and easiest Tuscan dish you could possibly make. The word “fettunta” comes from the words “fetta”, meaning slice, and “unta”, meaning oily–and fettunta is exactly that. A slice of bread, flavored by nothing more than the highest quality olive oil and a bit of garlic and salt. But you’d be remiss to call it “garlic bread”, as many do, for the dish’s true intent is to highlight what Homer called “liquid gold”. Fettunta is best in late fall with the year’s first batch of olive oil, or olio nuovo–green in color and sharp in flavor.
Serve warm as an antipasti or merenda, or use it as the base of bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes and basil.
ITALY SEGRETA’S FETTUNTA
INGREDIENTS
- One loaf of Tuscan (unsalted) bread
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- Extra virgin olive oil (best if “nuovo”–just pressed–still slightly green and spicy)
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- Peperoncino (optional)
PREPARATION
- Cut thick slices of Tuscan bread. You want bread with a substantial crust and a chewy interior.
- Toast the bread slices on a grill until they are golden brown and crunchy. The grill is the best as the grooves it forms are perfect for grinding down the garlic, but you can also toast in a pan or the oven.
- While the bread is still warm, take a peeled garlic clove and rub it over one side of each piece of toast. The warm bread will help release the flavors of the garlic. You can use more or less garlic depending on your preference.
- Generously drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the garlic-rubbed side of the toast.
- Sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper and peperoncino, if using, over the top for added flavor and spice.
- Serve warm.
