This peperoncino toast is a super easy, spicy, nutty way to start your day, offer up for a light lunch, orserve for hors d’oeuvres next time you entertain!
You can use any of the Bakehouse breads. I made it with Sicilian Sesame Semolina, but Better Than San Francisco Sourdough, True North, or Rustic Italian would work really well too!
The second ingredient is the amazing Georgia Grinders Almond Butter. I’ve been eating it for years, and I love it just as much now as the first time I tried it. The almond butter is basically the recipe of Georgia Grinders’ founder, Jaime Foster’s grandfather, who ate this regularly and lived to be 97 years old. It’s just almonds and crunchy sea salt crystals. Consumed by the spoonful straight out of the jar or spread on sandwiches, it’s terrific!
The IASA peperoncino is equally outstanding! An exceptionally delicious jar of small chile pepper pieces in olive oil that’s so good I put it on pretty much everything from pasta to salad to grilled cheese. It comes from the small, family-owned firm of IASA (say “ee-ah-sah”)—the acronym stands for Ittica Alimentare Salerno—founded by Francesco di Mauro back in 1969. It’s made from a local variety of chile pepper called “Amante,” which also translates as “lover” in Italian, a fitting name for these flavorful chopped chiles.
The fresh, brilliant crimson peppers are mashed to a coarse paste, mixed with olive oil, and left to macerate for a few months to develop many layers of complex flavors. I first tasted them in Florence a few years ago with Rolando Beramendi—author, importer, and longtime friend—and I was hooked right off the bat. The peperoncino are fairly hot—not mind-blowing like eating a habanero, but they pack a peppery punch. The IASA peperoncino has an exceptionally long finish and full flavor with a remarkable bit of umami in the mix.
Putting together the toast is simple if you have these three inspiring ingredients—Bakehouse bread, the Georgia Grinders Almond Butter, and the IASA peperoncino. Toast the bread. Spread the almond butter generously. Add some peperoncino on top—you can vary the amount of course depending on how much heat you like. I love the contrast of flavors! Nutty, creamy almond butter and spicy chiles with the weight of the toast to anchor it all. The toast is terrific too, with slices of fresh peach, apricot, or nectarine laid on top—the sweetness of the fruit brings another lovely bit of flavor to the mix.
