Simple Garlic Bread

Is your family a bread family?  Do you always have a loaf at the table?  Bread, to me, has always seemed like a special treat reserved for restaurants.  I don’t usually make it or eat it for dinner at home.

This recipe is the exception to the rule.  It comes together quickly, and is best served with a warning.  You can’t eat just one slice.  When it’s drizzled with olive oil, butter, herbs and cheese, how can you go wrong?

You could say I’ve adapted this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics cookbook, but all I did was add some cheese.

You will need:

• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ C chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ C chopped fresh oregano leaves (I don’t usually have these, so I use basil, thyme, or both)
• ½ t Kosher salt
• ¼ t freshly ground black pepper
• ½ C good olive oil
• ¼ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread (though I’ve used French bread as well)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic mixture.  Remove from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta in half with a serrated knife.  Brush half with the olive oil mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Spread the butter on the other half.  Put the halves together and wrap the bread in foil.

Bake in the oven with the foil for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 5 more.

Take a nice whiff before you gobble it all up.  The smell is to die for.