Today we have a guest post from back in Georgetown, as Bill and Suzy continue on their Italian journey. The following comes from Elsa, the Social Media and Marketing assistant at Via Umbria. 

Two years ago I ushered myself into my 20’s in Florence, with a profiterole at Gilli’s, a gratitude session on the Ponte Vecchio, and a late night stroll past the silent Duomo.

Last Friday I entered my 22nd year, still celebrating Italian-style.

After a surprise-filled workday at Via Umbria, I turned my attention to plans for the night. I got off work at 6:00PM, I arrived home at 6:30PM, and then needed to clean my apartment, set up decorations, frost the cake, create a playlist, and look birthday princess perfect before 8:00PM, when I told my guests to promptly arrive to feast on a potluck.

I also needed something hot, vegetarian/vegan, and sophisticated to serve as an appetizer the moment my guests walked through the door. As this was my first time celebrating a birthday outside college, I swore off serving anything chip-related, as I am totally an adult now! This appetizer also must be healthy in case substantial food arrived later (as in the case of the asparagus and sweet potato fritatta that waltzed in halfway through the party in the tipsy arms of two college friends coming down from Bethesda).

But I had a secret weapon to calm my appetizer freak-out: I work at an Italian goods store with a huge selection of gourmet food.

Before leaving work I grabbed a jar of Mancino mushrooms, grilled peppers, Seggiano basil pesto, and two types of De Carlo olives.

I placed the two types of olives by the to-be cheese plate. Then got to work on some crostini. Turning up the oven, I sliced some fresh bread (1 min 45 seconds), popped the slices on a baking tray and spread pesto over each one of them (1 min), and then alternated laying either mushrooms or peppers on each of the slices (2 min). Total Time: less that 5 minutes.

Because the mushrooms and peppers are preserved in oil, they are already soft and tender. As they warm, the olive oil soaks into the bread, leaving the outside crispy. The pesto adds flavor while letting the veggies be the star. The crostini were beautiful, original, and secretly speedy.

With a satisfied and oh-so-mature smile I bit into my creation in the company of friends all eager to know where they could get their hands on the “magical” ingredients. The taste and smells, (especially with the peppers), took me right back to the birthday meal my 65 year old Italian host mother made for me two years ago. I may not have been able to stroll by the Duomo after dinner, but it sure tasted like Italy.

Elsa Bruno is an employee of Via Umbria and a recent Graduate of Scripps College for Women in Los Angeles, where she studied Art History and Italian Studies. She enjoys balancing healthy vegetarian Italian food with jars of Nutella as big as her head. You can reach her at elsa@viaumbria.com.