Homemade Garlic Bread - Caprese Style

I love Garlic Bread, especially when its fresh homemade bread where I am free to indulge in the toppings that I please! A salad or a bowl of your favorite pasta is never complete unless accompanied by a few pieces of sizzling hot and cheesy Garlic bread. I try to be innovative with my toppings to bring out the variety and though Bruschetta toppings are my preferred option, this time we tried to make something similar to a Caprese salad. Inspired by the Italian traditional Caprese, I used thick tomatoes, Cheddar and Mozarella with a hint of basil as a delicate topping for our homemade Garlic Bread.

Ingredients
1 loaf of Italian bread or French bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Caprese Toppings
7-8 thickly sliced tomatoes
cheddar and mozarella cheese - shredded
** or use fresh slices of thick white Mozarella cheese
dry basil flakes (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the bread in half, horizontally, and keep aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, just enough to warm it. Now add the minced garlic to the oil. Let it roast for about 2 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat and let it cool a little.

Then mix the butter, roasted garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan and Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want. Top with the thick sliced tomatoes, sprinkle some more shredded Mozarella and Cheddar on the top, and finish with Basil flakes.

Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese bubbles slightly. Do not go for more than 3 seconds as the bread can burn and brown very easily!

Remove from oven and let it cool for a minute. Now cut into 2-inch slices, or larger if you choose, and serve the piping hot Caprese-style Garlic bread with your favorite pasta or salad!

Note: You can even chop the tomatoes instead of slicing them if you want thinner pieces to serve.

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Baked Rigatoni Pasta with Homemade Garlic and Basil Marinara Sauce

Pasta is such a staple dinner item in so many homes, it can get kind of challenging to make it interesting! But of course, thanks to hundreds of different types of pasta varieties, and also the packaged sauces that supermarkets horde for you, there are plenty of options to choose from, especially when different people in the same house have different tastes. Like I love penne and rigatoni, but my dear husband settles for nothing but linguine or fettucine. So if I have to feed him something else, I have to package it in a clever and tasty way so he can crib a little but still enjoy his food:) I generally like the sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce for my pasta, but this time I tried making the traditional Italian Marinara sauce at home, just to see if I could compete with Raagu and Bertoli!! It is so simple to make this sauce at home, and you'd save so much money, not to mention the flavor that a fresh Homemade Garlic and Basil Marinara sauce can add to your pasta! I tried the Baked Rigatoni with my homemade sauce; Sprinkled with fresh parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and flavored with fresh herbs and garlic, you just cannot resist this dinner dish!

Ingredients

For the Marinara Sauce
2 cans tomato puree
1 can diced roma tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 large cloves of garlic - minced
2 tbsp dried basil leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 small onion - finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
lemon juice - add to taste if necessary
water - add to adjust consistency

Pasta Ingredients
10 oz Rigatoni pasta
1/2 capsicum - finely diced
1 cup mozarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Method

Pasta Sauce
Place the olive oil in a small frying pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until onions are slightly tender.

Now add the tomato puree and the diced tomatoes, add 1/2 cup water and allow to cook. for 5 minutes so the tomato pieces get almost mashed and tender. Then add the dried basil and oregano leaves, salt, sugar and more water if needed, then cover and let it simmer on medium-flame till all flavors are mixed well.

Once cooked, remove from flame and allow to cool a little. If you like a smoother texture, you can blend this mixture after it has cooled down to form a puree. I like a chunky texture, so I left it as it is.

Baked Rigatoni
Take the Rigatoni and cook it according to package instructions.

Take 1 tbsp olive oil and heat it. Add the chopped capsicum to it and cook until slightly tender.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a square or rectangular glass baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Layer the cooked pasta in the dish, top it with the sauted capsicum, then gently pour the marinara sauce over it. Add the parmesan and mozzarella cheese to it. Sprinkle some more dried basil and thyme leaves on the top if you like.

now bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, until the pasta and sauce is cooked well and the cheese begins to melt. Change the setting to Broil and cook for another 2 mins, just so the cheese on the top gets a little golden in color.

Remove from oven and allow to cool a little. Serve the hot Baked Rigatoni Pasta with a side salad or garlic bread for a delicious Italian Meal! This goes to Mathy's JFI-Garlic event!!

Similar Recipes:
Fettucini Alfredo with Basil
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Garlic - Packed with flavor and lots of Health Benefits

When we speak about food that has plenty of health benefits, Garlic is one thing that tops the charts. Everyone knows about its benefits for a healthy heart, but there's more to this stinking(or should I say fragrant!)spice than what meets the eye. Garlic has long been considered a herbal "wonder drug", contributing to cures of everything from the common cold to the Plague. It has also been used extensively in herbal medicines. So here's a comprehensive list of some well-known and some less-known facts about Garlic. After reading this, I think you'd appreciate it more than just for the "garlicky flavour" that most of us love in our food!!

Garlic contains a wide variety of phytochemicals, but the one that seems to be the center of attention and a lot of research is "Allicin". Garlic, in its raw form, does not normally contain allicin. In fact, Allicin is formed when garlic is cut, crushed or cooked and the sulphur containing amino acid "Alliin" is broken down by enzymes to form di-allyl sulphides or Allicin. Though current research shows that there is insufficient evidence to support health claims about garlic, history and personal experience of millions is enough to make me believe in this "wonder drug".

Some of the tried-and-tested health benefits of garlic are as follows:

Healthy Heart - Garlic is said to be good for cardiovascular problems due to its blood pressure lowering effects, blood lipid lowering effects and its anticoagulant properties. It helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial system, thereby lowering or regulating blood sugar levels. One recent study shows this effect to be greater in women than men.

Anti-Cancer - It is believed to help in prevention or alleviate cancer,especially of the digestive system,and helps fight hepatic and microbial infections by removing heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.
It can also prevent certain tumors from growing larger

Common Cold and Fever - There are reports that eating garlic reduces the frequency and severity of the common cold. A way to use garlic on a stuffy nose, sore throat and infection is to crush a garlic clove and use it like an inhaler. This will help clear the passages as well as fight the germs. Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species and also has anti-oxidant properties (is a source of selenium). Garlic also brings down fever significantly. Crush fresh cloves of garlic to make a paste, apply this on a cotton pad or gauze. Apply olive oil on the feet and press the garlic pads onto the feet and leave overnight to see the fever gone in the morning!

Psoriasis - Applying garlic oil to the red and itchy affected areas of skin can help reduce the effect of psoriasis.

Anti Acne Agent - Raw garlic(mixed with white vinegar)is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne. This treatment uses the antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and germicidal properties of garlic to fight the acne while its antioxidants help repair and protect the skin from free radical damage and help draw out infections. The vinegar balances your skin’s pH levels.

Antibiotic - Crushed raw garlic applied to the site of the infection, can burn badly for a min, but allicin, a very powerful antibacterial compund can be very effective on most infections. It can also act as a natural mosquito repellent.

Besides these, garlic has been used for Hair-loss treatment, toothaches, beauty treatments and other things as well. The list can go on and on. But I think what we summarized above conveys the message of how beneficial it is. However, if you are on any prescribed medications, ask your doctor if your garlic intake interferes with it in any way (especially haemophilliacs or anti-clotting agents)

So if Garlic is still not a part of your daily diet, now is the time to incorporate it! It will not only make your food taste better, but will also make you a more healthy person. And if you hate the smell it leaves in your mouth, you can easily use the garlic capsules available in the stores. Great health and no Bad Breath- what more can one ask for??

This article is on it's way to Mathy's JFI-Garlic festival to spread the message of good health!

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