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!

On the Fourth of July I went over to my friends house to make a salsa/side dish for a party we were going to.  It started out with an avocado, black bean, white corn and feta base but when it was finished it tasted bland; it needed a little kick.  The salsa was already salty, so I looked around the kitchen and spotted a mango.  I thought its sweet, tart nature would give the salsa the contrast it needed.  Little did I think it was going to turn out amazing.  Let me know if you do too!  

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado diced
• 1 fresh, raw ear white corn, shucked
• 1 mango diced
• 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 oz lime juice
• Salt & pepper as desired

Knife Used

• 8″ Meridian Elite Stealth Chef’s Knife

Instructions

1. Cut kernels from cobs by holding each ear upright on the wide end and using a sharp knife; reserve kernels. 
2. Dice the avocado.  (If you need help on how to dice an avocado click here.) 
3. Dice the mango.  (If you need help on how to dice a mango click here.)  
4. Chop the cilantro. (If you would like an easy way to de-stem and chop cilantro click here.)
5. Chop the green part of the green onions.
6. Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Blueberry Cornbread

Jennifer Keller – Peconic Baking Company

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
• For Honey Butter (optional):
• 2 teaspoons melted butter
• ¼ cup liquid honey

1. Make the cornbread: Preheat the oven to 400º F.  Grease an 8- by 8-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the large bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the cornbread is lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

4. Make the honey butter (optional): Whisk together the butter and honey. Brush all or some of the mixture onto the cornbread about 10 minutes after it is removed from the oven.