When your raw materials are top quality you don’t need to do much to enjoy a delicious and healthy bite to eat. A drizzle of great extra virgin olive oil on a slice of bread… you’ve already got an amazing scrumptious snack!
Starting your day with a slice of bread topped with olive oil is an excellent idea. You’re giving your body high quality nutrients that are also great for keeping your digestion regular.
But more than just getting your day off to a great start, it can be a pleasure for the senses that you can afford every day, any time you want.
Bread and extra virgin olive oil is one of the Mediterranean’s oldest and most delectable culinary combinations. When their quality is high, these two basic healthy foods can be combined to create an enormous range of possibilities. Let your imagination run wild!
Here are a few great ideas you can try out at home. They’re quite easy to prepare and the results can be spectacular…
Needless to say, if you use artisan bread, you’ll get better results. The same goes for your extra virgin olive oil; it should be top quality if you really want to outdo yourself and make something fantastic.
1. Bread with extra virgin olive oil, salt and chocolate
This is one for the more nostalgic among us. Really simple and sure to take you back to your childhood days.
Grate a good amount of dark chocolate onto a piece of farmhouse bread. (It’s best to use chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa.) Next, drizzle a few drops of extra virgin olive oil onto the chocolate and sprinkle a few flakes of salt on top of that.
In Girona, this is also traditionally eaten with tomatoes (bread with tomato and chocolate). It’s lovely! If you want, try adding a few small diced cubes of fresh tomato.
2. Bread with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and parsley
Make several length-wise cuts along a loaf of bread. Be careful! Make sure your cuts aren’t deep enough to go all the way through!
Add olive oil, chopped garlic and parsley to taste in the middle. Bake it for a few minutes… and enjoy!
3. Bread, extra virgin olive oil and walnuts
This is the perfect thing for breakfast or a snack. The cuisine of southern Spain is full of delicious combinations like this one where walnuts are combined with bread and extra virgin olive oil. Another traditional dish from Granada is bread made with olive oil topped with raisins and walnuts.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over a slice of bread.
Chop some walnuts and sprinkle them on top.
Lastly, add the final touch: a pinch of white pepper.
Bake a few minutes… and voilà!
4. Bread, oregano and tomatoes
This is a very tasty variation of our famous pa amb tomàquet, or “bread with tomato”. If you use high-quality extra virgin olive oil, this is a combination worth your attention.
Toast a slice of rustic bread.
Add a pinch of oregano, cut the tomatoes in half and rub them on the bread to moisten it with pulp, and lastly, lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top.
Note that you do not need to add salt to this.
