Chive Garlic Bread

September. Zoe's senior year is underway and she is — radiant. There's no other word. She walks the halls of her school with the confidence of a girl who knows she's leaving and has decided to be fully present in the leaving. AP Art is her kingdom. Her teacher has given her a corner of the classroom for her senior thesis project: a series of paintings about "the table." Not our table specifically — though our table is the root — but the concept. The table as site of family. The table as site of negotiation. The table as altar. The table as the place where the human project of eating together happens three times a day and the happening is the meaning.

Jasmine called from Howard — senior year for her too. She's been offered a position with the City of Atlanta's communications office after graduation. IN ATLANTA. Ten minutes from my house. My daughter is coming home. Not to my house — she's too grown for that, too independent, too Jasmine — but to my city. To my neighborhood. To Sunday dinners. To the table. The table that held her at nine and will hold her at twenty-one and will hold her forever because the table doesn't have an age limit. The table just holds.

Set the Table fall enrollment: fifty-eight girls. The growth. The relentless, organic, collard-green growth. Diamond is managing the East Point location full-time. Keyana (original six, 2016) has come back to volunteer on Saturdays. The circle. The program is the circle. The circle is the miracle.

Made a big pot of chicken and sausage jambalaya — the recipe from the cookbook, the one-pot meal that feeds an army on a Wednesday. Curtis ate two bowls and said, "This is Louisiana food." I said, "This is our food." He said, "Hm." The "hm" was approximately 8.7. I'm reaching the nines, people. Twenty-two years. The nines are in sight.

Any time I make that big pot of jambalaya — the one that fills the whole kitchen with something that smells like home and Louisiana and twenty-two years of getting it right — I want something warm and simple to put alongside it, something you can tear and pass and reach for without ceremony. Chive garlic bread is exactly that. It’s the side dish that doesn’t ask for attention but earns its place at the table every single time, and when Jasmine comes back to Atlanta for Sunday dinners, I want the whole spread to be ready.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian or French bread, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Make the compound butter. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, chives, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir until fully blended and the herbs are evenly distributed.
Spread. Lay both bread halves cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the chive butter generously and evenly across both cut surfaces, reaching all the way to the edges.
First bake. Tent loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes, until the butter has melted through and the bread is heated.
Finish open. Remove the foil tent and bake an additional 4 to 5 minutes, until the edges are golden and the surface is just beginning to crisp.
Slice and serve. Pull from the oven and slice crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Serve immediately alongside whatever is in that big pot on the stove.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chive Garlic Bread — The Side Dish That Belongs at Every Table