A Really Pretty Piece of Toast for When it Feels Like the World is Ending
Author & Photographer: Paige Resnick
Wow. I really love bread. I love it a lot. I love the smell of yeast and the sound of crackling crust. I love the cloud of glutinous steam that escapes when cutting into a loaf too soon after it comes out of the oven. I love how bread makes me feel: warm, comforted, hopeful. And that is why bread is the most important thing you can eat right now in these times of fear and uncertainty and loneliness. Bread will, at least temporarily, fill the holes that your friends created by leaving campus, and produce that uncontrollable, audible “yum” that escapes from your mouth upon first bite.
I’m sure you’ve seen the articles about baking your own bread in quarantine; raising a sourdough starter takes time, patience, and attention, something many of us have an abundance of right now. Not to mention, you will start to grow attached to it, almost like a child, which is great company during social distancing. Since the start of lockdown, I have baked eight loaves. EIGHT (shoutout to my starter Glutina. I love you babe!). But if you don’t want to commit to raising a gluten child, buy a loaf or two at the store. And don’t worry about being able to eat it all before it goes stale. Bread freezes really well, especially if it’s pre-sliced. Just crank up your toaster a couple notches higher when you are ready to defrost and start munching.
This wasn’t a planned, thoughtfully developed recipe. This was a morning like many other mornings—breakfast came together hastily, ingredients selected by blindly reaching into the fridge. I didn’t have fresh herbs (which would give this toast some nice brightness) or the foresight or patience to add a poached egg (which I would highly recommend now). This toast just happened, and upon first bite, the stresses of a global pandemic faded a little. Butter and garlic can do that to a person. Not to mention, there was some beautiful natural light coming in through my kitchen window (we love that shadow contrast), so I just had to steal a pic.
I’ll say three things before we part: 1. Stay at home, 2. Eat food that makes you feel good, 3. You don’t need to buy 20 gallons of milk at the grocery store. You just don’t.
Feel-Better Toast
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1 person, practice social distancing people!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup wild enoki mushrooms, or any kind of mushrooms the grocery store still has
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 slice of bread, see Note
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 anchovy fillets (or 4 or 5 or 6 or more, if you are like me)
Note: I found a beautiful loaf of orange peel, fennel, anise seed bread from Lost Larson Bakery in Andersonville. I highly recommend buying a loaf from them, they offer no-contact pick up and delivery on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and it’s a great way to support a local business! And upon your purchase, Lost Larson will distribute bread through the Greater Chicago Food Depository to community members in need. But if you aren’t in the Chicago area, any kind of bread with a nice open structure and a thick crust will do just fine.
Instructions:
In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sautée the garlic until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sautée until browned and toasty, about 6 minutes or more. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, toast your bread in a toaster. Spread a generous layer of butter on one side. Layer the anchovies over the butter.
When the mushrooms are looking delicious, spoon them on top of the bread. If you want, top with some chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, or thyme, a nicely yolky poached egg, or anything else that suits your fancy. Put this gorgeous queen on a plate, sit by a window or anywhere with some sunlight, bask in the glory of your creation. Eat it and feel better, even for only a couple of minutes.