How Nancy Silverton Upgrades Garlic Bread

Gifted baker Nancy Silverton is known for her incredible artisanal bread. Silverton utilized this talent to create the popular eatery La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, and then later opened the massively successful Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza (via Reuters). She was even recognized as "Outstanding Chef of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation in 2014 — an honor not many women have received.

"When I started out, I started for all the right reasons; I had a passion for flavors and cooking," Silverton told Reuters after she received her award. "Now I still get a lot of enjoyment from cooking for others and making them happy."

Her restaurant Pizzeria Mozza certainly makes people happy. The menu contains delicious-sounding appetizers like Burratina Pugliese which features semi-dried tomatoes, garlic toast, and olio Nuovo. It also has a bruschetta that is topped with capers, parsley, and pancetta. Clearly, Silverton is an expert when it comes to Italian food. So, when she offers up a recommendation to upgrade our garlic bread, we listen.

Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton understands that most meals can be upgraded using simple techniques. She explains in a Food Network article her fett'unta recipe — basically grilled garlic bread — has always been a "showstopper" when she creates Italian meals. "All I do is grill thick loaves of bread, rub them with garlic and drown them in olive oil," Silverton said. In a separate Food Network recipe for Umbrian-style chickpeas, Silverton notes that this one shouldn't require you to head to your nearest grocery store. "Use what you have on hand to add flavor to this spread," she explains. "This recipe is ever-changing, making it a completely customizable condiment."

To make this dish Silverton says you'll need to add chickpeas into a large pan with olive oil, bay leaf, sage, rosemary, bacon, carrot, celery, chile, garlic, and onion. Then, you'll let this mixture simmer for three hours and add more water and salt as needed. Next, you'll remove the herbs, vegetables, and bacon from your chickpeas and drain out the leftover liquid, and put it to the side. 

Then, mix some cloves of garlic into your chickpeas, adding leftover liquid as needed. After this step, you'll need to blend your mix in a food processor or blender until it becomes a smooth purée consistency. Lastly, take that delicious paste and smother your garlic bread with it for a taste that's like nothing you've ever experienced before.