Friday Food – 2

This week, it’s a kind of bread – but don’t switch off just yet. Bread need not equal routine and boring. So today, if you’ve not yet been there, let me introduce you to the humble Ciabatta.

Strangely enough, I first encountered Ciabatta in Munich: at lunchtimes during a work assignment I was on back in 1998 we would get open sandwiches made with the bread at a local Tengelmann store. But it was when I found the local Aldi selling Ciabatta for 49p a time that I became a serious aficionado.

Typically, the bread comes part baked, and as you then “finish” it, it comes hot out of the oven. As an open sandwich, it goes well with paté (meat or fish), most kinds of cheeses, or bruschetta spread – or, of course, any kind of jam, marmalade or honey. As a (slightly bulky) closed sandwich, you can fill it with cheese, sliced meat, or tuna.

Over the years, unfortunately, Aldi have gradually increased their admittedly very reasonable initial price to 69p, but Ciabatta is still excellent value, versatile enough – and different.

I shall be partaking this weekend: it’s been thawing since last night.