Ina's Garlic Ciabatta Bread

Up until now I have only made garlic bread one way. Up until now I have thought of garlic bread as a minor detail - just something necessary when making spaghetti or lasagna. Up until now I did not consider myself a big fan of garlic bread in general. All that changed when I made the Barefoot Contessa's garlic ciabatta bread tonight!! This recipe transforms bread from a boring side, to a meal in-itself. I used fresh parsley (very necessary) but didn't have fresh oregano so I used one teaspoon of dried. The chopped garlic and parsley fill every crevice of the ciabatta bread so each bite is packed with flavor. I obviously made more than garlic bread for dinner tonight but I thought this recipe deserved it's very own posting.

Garlic Ciabatta Bread

(From Ina Garten's, Bake to Basics)

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 c. fresh parsley

2 Tbs. fresh oregano

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

1 lg. loaf ciabatta bread

2 Tbs. butter, softened

Place the first five ingredients in a food processor and chop until minced. In a small saute pan heat the olive oil and then add the garlic mixture. Cook on low for 3-5 minutes - do not let the garlic brown. Remove from heat. Cut the bread in half, horizontally and spoon the oil-garlic mixture on the bottom half. Butter the top half of bread and then place the two halves together again. Wrap in tin foil and bake at 350 for 6 minutes. Carefully remove the tin foil and place directly on the rack and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy warm!
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