The season of entertaining is upon us, people. That means that appetizer is king! Since I have been sharing all kinds of recipes – both Lithuanian and not so much – I have decided that today would be a great day to start introducing some of the appetizers from my old country. As usual, nothing complicated, just quick and very delicious:)
Lithuanian appetizer #1 – fried bread
First of all, I have to say this: Lithuanian bread is the best. You may say that the bread from where you are is awesome, and I will most likely agree with you. But if you haven’t tried Lithuanian bread in any shape or form, you’ve missed out big time!
Now you already know that I live a few miles away from Lithuania, like, over the pond, through the woods kind of away… So the bread of my country and my childhood and my comfort is not as readily accessible to me as it used to be. At least not in the freshest form. We do have European markets around where we can purchase a loaf that is somewhat fresh. But mostly we improvise.
Anyway, fresh bread smells delicious and goes quick. But what about the time when you don’t want to waste and need to “save” it from going bad? Or maybe need a quick appetizer but the pantry is kind of empty? My practical ancestors have decided that the best way to do it is to make “kepta duona”, which means fried bread. It is a phenomenal appetizer and pairs terrifically with beer.
Want to know how to make it? Stick around!
Here I will provide two simplest and original variations of “kepta duona”, so you can choose:)
The bread most often used in a classic recipe would be rye bread. However, it can also be white bread, or any other kind – just as long as it’s not the one that crumbles when you cut it into pieces.
Fried bread with garlic
Ingredients
½-1 loaf of bread
1-2 slices of garlic
salt
Preparation
- Cut the bread into strips, each about an inch wide
- Heat oil in a skillet. Put the pieces of bread in the pan with oil and fry it on both sides until crispy.
- When the bread is done, place it in a bowl or a plate and add garlic by either rubbing it onto the bread directly or mixing bread with the minced garlic.
- Add salt to taste
- Enjoy
Fried bread with garlic and cheese
Ingredients
½-1 loaf of bread
2-3 slices of garlic
salt, to taste
grated cheese (sharp cheddar, for example)
2 tbsp of mayonnaise, optional
Preparation
- Cut the bread into strips, each about an inch wide
- Heat oil in a skillet. Put the pieces of bread in the pan with oil and fry it on both sides until crispy.
- When you take the bread out of the pan, rub it with garlic and sprinkle with salt.
- Place it in a bowl or a plate and sprinkle cheese on top OR
- Mix grated cheese with garlic and a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and add the cheese mixture on top.
- Enjoy
As usual, I have some questions for you:)
Have you ever tried fried bread before?
What is your favorite appetizer?
What would you add to this simple recipe?