Bruschetta

Bruschetta, a word once used to describe a piece of toast rubbed and drizzled in garlic and olive oil, has come to mean several different things over the years. There are many different types of bruschetta toppings, including chopped tomatoes and basil, and they are always served on a single piece of toasted or grilled bread. While some people insist bruschetta must be topped with olive oil, toppings can vary from recipe to recipe.

In its most basic form, bruschetta is a piece of bread grilled on a wood fire and rubbed with a cut of garlic. A traditional Italian appetizer, the bread slices are rubbed with olive oil and topped with diced tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper and served warm with melted cheese on top.

With the change of seasons, our appetites change as well, and if you are ready for something a bit heartier, La Bottega of Farmingdale offers a variety of delicious bruschetta. No food is as robust as this classic Italian fare.

A number of bruschetta variations are available today. Classic Bruschetta, which consists of tomato, garlic and fresh basil, is the most common. Mozzarella, roasted peppers and basil pesto is another well-known variant. For non-tomato fans, goat cheese, golden raisins and walnuts are added to the recipe as a complementary flavor. Seared steak is also available, including the addition of roasted jumbo shrimp with hot peppers.

All You Need to Know About Tiramisu

Dessert after a meal often marks a special occasion. Italian desserts are notable for presenting lavish arrangement of ingredients as well as unforgettable flavors, and of the most popular is tiramisu.

Tiramisu can be described as a creamy layered dessert with a jamocha flavor aftertaste. Everybody knows how much Italians love and value their food, and tiramisu is one of their best imports. Tiramisu layers espresso-soaked savoiardi—another name for crisp, sugary ladyfinger cookies—with a heavenly mixture of whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, and a cooked egg, sugar, and Marsala wine mixture called zabaglione.

If you are looking for this delicious dessert, you do not have to look no further than La Bottega Farmingdale.

An intense, yet refined, dish emerges through the grouping of these diverse ingredients. The delicate flavor of the mascarpone cheese and Italian custard are blended in with the robust presence of espresso and the sharpness of cocoa powder. When all these flavors come together, it brings forth a velvety texture providing an indulgent treat.

A number of tiramisu variations are available today. Chocolate tiramisu is a popular alternative which replaces the coffee flavor with chocolate. Fruit tiramisu is another well-known variant. Berries, peaches, and other fruits are added to the recipe as a complementary flavor. Frozen tiramisu recipes are also available, including the addition of gelato, frozen yogurt or ice cream in place of the custard. The popularity of tiramisu over the last couple of decades has prompted bakers to adapt the essential ingredients used in the dish for a number of recipes such as cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes and puddings.

Specialty Pizzette

Football season is here, and because of this, we are going to jump on the bandwagon and offer an Italian appetizer anyone can enjoy before, during, or after the game. This delicious appetizer or meal is called a pizzette, and the best part about it is no pots or pans are necessary!

For those not familiar with a pizzette, it is essentially a pizza, but smaller and healthier. The simple reason they are so thin. That reason is simple. People love pizza right? Be it take-out, homemade, served at the greatest pizzeria in town or even frozen, everyone loves it. So why not enjoy a thin crusted pie of pizzettes for a reasonable price?

Everyone loves pizza, right? Be it take-out, homemade, served from the best pizzeria in town, or, dare we say frozen, the cheese and sauce on a crust is a staple of our society. A pizette, on the other hand, offers the same thin-crusted deliciousness of a pizza, except bite-sized and a lot less pricier!

Here at La Bottega Farmingdale, we offer tasty food with a pleasant atmosphere, and the pizzettes are one of our specialties. It took only one tiny crisp of parmacotto artichoke hearts with sundried tomatoes on margherita pizza to remember some of the best meals in the world are deceptively simple. Why settle for a simple piece of pepperoni pizza when you can get better, healthier ingredients for a much better price? Don't like artichoke? No problem! At La Bottega Farmingdale, we have over ten different pizzettes to choose from, from sweet italian sausage to oven roasted chicken, and even sauteed spinach for all you vegetarians out there!

At La Bottega Farmingdale, we give you the option of coming in to dine at our restaurant or having us deliver our delicious food to you! We also have catering options available. Isn’t is about time you try something new and indulge yourselves with our huge variety of famous specialty pizzettes?

A Taste of Autumn

As the summer heat transitions into an autumn breeze, and the leaves begin to turn shades of red, orange, and yellow, the fruits and vegetables growing in our gardens go through some changes as well. Fall brings the largest and most bountiful harvest of the year, with many cultures and religions celebrating holidays and festivals where food is the main attraction. Some of the most essential fruits and vegetables are harvested in the fall, including apples, pumpkins, zucchini, beets, eggplant, beans, potatoes, and squash.

With so many delicious crops being harvested in the Fall, right now is the best time to get a taste while they are in season. Eggplant and zucchini, two main staples of any Italian kitchen, are in season in the late summer and early Fall in most climates, and at La Bottega of Farmingdale, are a main ingredient in many of our delicious vegetarian paninis. The Foggia, Sicilia, and Potenza all use eggplant and is an excellent choice for both plant and meat lovers alike.

Zucchini is another great tasting and incredibly healthy vegetable packed with nutrients, containing a low calorie count and no saturated fats or cholesterol. La Bottega of Farmingdale uses zucchini in two of our legendary vegetarian dishes, the Terra and the Quattro Formaggi. For all the chicken lovers out there, the Trieste combines grilled chicken with zucchini, mozzarella, and black-olive paste on ciabatta bread, and the Cuneo subs out the black-olive paste for roasted peppers, another staple of the fall harvest.

La Bottega of Farmingdale also offers a wide variety of chicken, steak, turkey, and seafood salads with delicious autumn vegetables. Our salads contain a wide range of fall fruits and vegetables, from beets, artichokes, and peppers to squash, carrots, and chicories. Come down to La Bottega of Farmingdale and try out everything the autumn harvest has to offer.

The importance of incorporating soup in your diet this autumn

As we begin to adjust to the cooler temperatures this fall, the perfect meal or addition to any meal is a hearty bowl of soup. Vegetables including pumpkins, butternut squash, and broccoli are in season right now, making it the perfect time start incorporating soup in your diet.

Vegetables in season are often at it’s freshest and most nutritious. The average adult should be consuming 7 or more cups of fruit or vegetables daily which can be made achievable when adding vegetable soups into your diet.

Whether you like to make your soup at home or order at a restaurant, there is a lot of options to choose from. Butternut Squash Soup, also known as Zuppa di Zucca, is a popular soup dish for the season. Butternut squash is a nutrient packed vegetable; high in fiber, vitamin A (an antioxidant), B-group vitamins such as thiamin and vitamin b-6, and low in calories and fat. At La Bottega of Farmingdale, pair this soup with one of their artisan paninis, such as the the Gubbio, which has roasted portobello, goat cheese, basil pesto, and roasted pepper on whole wheat bread, or the Como, which has imported smoked prosciutto, fontina, baby arugula on ciabatta bread.

Another popular soup dish is the Broccoli Cream Soup, also known as Crema di Broccoli. Creamy in consistency, broccoli serves as the main ingredient in this dish. Broccoli is also a nutrient packed vegetable; high in fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium, and low in calories and fat. This soup is a very delicious way of incorporating more nutrients in your diet. Try this soup with the Torino panini, featuring slowly roasted porchetta, mozzarella, tomato, and baby arugula on rustic bread, or one of their Brushette’s such as the Mozzarella Basilico.

Another very popular soup dish is the chicken and vegetable soup, also known as Zuppa di Polla Ai Vegetali. This hearty soup is protein and fiber packed. The vegetables can be seasonally changed allowing for many different variations, and is perfect for pairing with a salad such as the Bietole, which contains mixed greens, roasted red beets, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, corn, and tomatoes with honey dijon, or one of their Brushette’s such as the Firenze.

Soup, in addition to being an excellent source of nutrients, can be extremely delicious too. Hungry yet? Come down to La Bottega of Farmingdale tonight and don’t forget to order soup with your meal!

Take Out Menu

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La Bottega Farmingdale
257 Main Street
516-253-2398

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The Infamous Lobster Roll

You’re a seafood lover, you’re hungry, and it’s a beautiful summer day. What comes to mind other than a lobster roll? The tender, sweet chunks of lobster meat lightly coated with mayonnaise on a buttered roll is mouth-watering just thinking about it!

A good lobster roll starts with a good lobster. The lobster should be active and moving around, as this is the sign of a good lobster. Size matters as larger lobsters, while a bit tougher, are meatier and of course more flavorful. Is it a boy or a girl? The pleopod, which is the first set of tails under a lobster’s body, is the easiest way to tell as a male lobster has a harder pleopod than a female. Is the shell soft or hard? Hard shells are meatier but soft shells are known to be a little tastier.

Now that you know what a great lobster is and what goes into making a great lobster roll, there is a place you can go to find lobster roll perfection. If you’re on Long Island (yes, Long Island, not New England) come down to La Bottega in Farmingdale and see just what a Long Island lobster roll is all about! It’s only on the menu for a limited time so it is a must if you haven’t had the chance to try one. Get on down to La Bottega in Farmingdale and satisfy that summer day appetite!