Usually the most delicious dishes are very simple, based on just a few ingredients. What makes the food exceptionally good?
I grew up in a small village. Spring and summer were my favourite months, an abundance of ripening vegetables and fruits in my parents’ garden was something all of us had been waiting for during the winter. I can see my mum in the kitchen, cooking dinner for us all, and, many times, she’d ask me to go to the garden and bring some carrots, dill, onion or something else she currently needed. Isn’t that beautiful? Fresh, homegrown veg, how much I miss you!
The very first time I started appreciating the vegetables back at home, was when I moved away from home, to the city. The quality of vegetables available in supermarkets, compared to my mum’s veg, was just, well, sad. No flavour, no crispiness. To be honest, I used to hate gardening and vegetable growing when I was a child. I’d much rather wash my dad’s car than help around with gardening. It was only when I moved away from home, I understood why would people put so much effort in growing their own vegetables, if they are available all year round in supermarkets. I finally got that.
If the vegetables we buy do not rot away, what does it tell us? Perhaps it’s because are literally packed with pesticides and other nonsense, just to keep them alive for long and looking perfect? My mum’s veg was far from perfect-looking. Carrots and parsnips were covered in soil, onions were half the size of those supermarket ones, cauliflowers weren’t giants. But oh my, did they taste great!
I always try to buy veg and fruit from local markets or farms. If you deprive the vegetables of their natural features: aromatic smell, freshness, not-so-perfect shape, the food you make with them will be also somehow deprived of flavour.
My most recent dream? To have a piece of land where I could grow my own tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, courgettes. Nothing more delicious than food you’ve grown yourself. The hard work really does pay off.
TOMATO AND BASIL BRUSCHETTA
INGREDIENTS
1 baguette
olive oil
tomatoes, any variety will do, just make sure they are fresh
bunch of fresh basil
1-2 garlic cloves
freshly ground pepper
salt
grated parmesan cheese
HOW TO MAKE?
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small cubes and place them in a bowl. Wash and cut the basil leaves, add them to the bowl with tomatoes. Finely chop the garlic, add to the bowl with tomatoes. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt, add a small splash of olive oil, and mix well together. Set aside, so all the flavours can combine well.
3. Slice the baguette. Place the slices in the oven, for about 3-5 minutes, until they’re slightly browned and crispy.
4. Take them out of the oven, top with the tomato and basil you prepared before, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Smacznego,
aho
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aho's homemade food 
Thank you for sharing all those wonderful receipts and also no less wonderful memories
I’m very happy to hear that someone is actually reading what I write :) Thank you!
Oh yes, I can have dinners with bruschetta :) also with buffalo mozzarella is very good, just slightly melted or fresh.
And I like it also with olive oil, tomato, basil and a couple of anchovy fillets, it’s very good too :)
I agree with you on every single word about the vegetables and fruits sold in many stores.
Have you ever try bruschetta with spinach and garlic? Also very nice ;))
No I never tried, but I like spinach and garlic :)
Homegrown vegetables are sooo much better than store bought vegetables. I agree! That recipe sounds delicious too.
Making bruschetta with fresh ingredients is the only way to do it! It tastes way better than the store-bought version, although isn’t that the way with most foods? I can’t wait to try your version. Looking forward to reading more delicious recipes!
Yummy!!
Hi Aho, thanks for stopping by my blog and liking. I see that you, like myself, appreciate simple good food made with stellar ingredients, beats the complicated highly evolved stuff hands down most days..Lovely blog you have here and great recipes by the looks of things. Bruschetta is always a good start to an evening specially with a nice wine to go with it!
I am a big fan of homegrown, farmer fresh fruit and vegetables. Absolutely tastes so different. It tastes real, like it is supposed to taste. Also love your picture presentation. Thank you for sharing.
It’s good to know that there are people out there who still appreciate homegrown fruit and veg :))
Recently went to our local strawberry farm and picked our own. My family were cane farmers and mum always had a garden, cow and chooks. Mum and my siblings have their own garden because they live on acreage in a rural area. You know what goes into the food.
Exactly! Well said! I think my biggest concern about the modern food industry is that we never know what we are eating. And a lot of people don’t seem to care, either. How sad, isn’t it?
Thank you so much. Yes, I like to know where my food comes from and what I am eating.
Not sure about people seeming to care, some may not have a choice where to buy food from eg., multinationals monopoly. However, at every opportunity, I will buy local produce from locals or the small independent local grocery franchise owners in our local community.
Stunning photos, and beautifully written! I couldn’t agree more. I also grew up surrounded by fruit and vegetables grown in our garden and by our neighbors, but never thought twice about it. It wasn’t until I lived in the city for a couple years that I finally realized the value of good, organic produce. Simple dishes with simple, high quality ingredients really are the best!
It sounds like a cliche but it really is true: we don’t appreciate things until we lose them. I used to hate working in the garden with my Mum. I would always choose tidying the house or doing laundry over gardening. And look at me now – craving homegrown fruit and veg hahah
So true! I always ran away from gardening. I remember turning my nose up at all the things my Mom would make, fresh and organic from the garden…applesauce, zucchini chocolate cakes, pumpkin pies, cherry sorbet. The list goes on. Instead, I wanted packaged stuff from the store. Now, I feel like…what on earth was I thinking?! How silly I was hahaha!
Love the photos on your blog and your conversational style of writing.
When making something as simple as Bruschetta the quality of the bread is of equal importance.
If I can’t get to a good baker I make my own :)
Gorgeous, thank you. (I did it with vegan cheese instead. Thought you might like to know it worked in case you have vegan guests)!
Nice! Never tried vegan cheese, what is it made of? Is it good? :)
Hi there! Some are coconut based, some are made from soya protein and others are made from cashew nuts. There is a good book called “This Cheese is Nuts!” by Julie Piatt which is just great. She uses mainly almonds and cashews and agar-agar for thickening. Store bought one really vary; my favourites are the ones from Sainsbury, especially the “feta” and Wensleydale and Cranberry-type one. I find that for sauces I also add savoury yeast flakes and Dijon mustard, which really impart a gorgeous cheesy flavour. Have a lovely day!