Almost Italian

Photo courtesy of Beelama

Sometime in the 1940′s or ’50′s, garlic bread became one of the signature components of an Italian-American restaurant meal. Unfortunately, the version I remember most vividly was a hapless mixture of margarine and garlic powder slathered on a French baguette.

That lackluster example aside, non-Italians reminiscing about the period confirm that it was not only spaghetti with meatballs that drew them into the neighborhood restaurants; it was the prospect of garlic bread.

American GIs who had served in Europe came home with a taste for artisanal bread unlike the mass-market products of the US. The closest approximation of what they’d come to enjoy was to be found in Little Italy restaurants. In addition, first and second generation Italian-Americans who’d been posted to Italy had encountered the bread of their forebears—toasted as crostini or grilled as bruschetta, both flavored with olive oil and garlic.

While it would have been too labor-intensive for the typical family-run restaurant to offer freshly toasted slices of bread to every diner, one mid-century technological innovation—aluminum foil—made it practical to prepare multiple loaves of seasoned bread and to warm them as needed. It may put aluminum foil in perspective to note that when it debuted, the Swanson TV dinner, sold and served in molded aluminum foil, created as much buzz as tail-fins on Cadillacs.

By 1949, aluminum foil had become a popular method for wrapping food that would be refrigerated or frozen until it was cooked (or reheated). Italian-American restaurant cooks quickly put this new material to good use, enclosing a long loaf of dense Italian bread, that had been split lengthwise so the cut surface could be brushed with garlic and olive oil and then heated in the oven. The seductive fragrance, rising from the “garlic bread” as it was delivered from kitchen to hungry patrons in the dining room, made it an instant success. Furthermore, in most establishments, this treat was served without additional charge. Here was yet another delicious element of “foreign intrigue” that was of entirely American-Italian invention.

Even if they have a track-record of having been produced with less-than-the-best-ingredients, many Almost-Italian standards have honest origins and deserve to be made with the best ingredients available.

Garlic Bread

Use a large, crusty loaf of bread. (We prefer those with denser textures.)

This would be a time to splurge a bit by treating yourself to the same extra virgin olive oil you’ve been using for your salad dressings.

Ingredients:

1 large loaf Italian bread (at least 1 pound)
2 Cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbs. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. Freshly grated Parmesan
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Mix the garlic with the olive oil and allow the mixture to macerate for 1/2 hour at room temperature. In a separate bowl, combine the Parmesan, oregano, and parsley.

Split the bread lengthwise, and brush the cut surfaces with the garlic/oil mixture. Sprinkle both surfaces with the herbs.

Put the two halves back together, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil, and place it on a sheet pan. Bake for around 10 minutes.

To Serve:

Carefully unwrap the loaf and, using a serrated knife, cut into thick slices. Serve at once.

Serves six