Bruschetta is a simple Italian starter of crusty bread most often with a typical tomato and basil topping. Ideal as summer fare especially as a light snack because it is so tasty and flavoursome. The alternative is soup such as minestrone where the crusty bread would be made for a bruschetta.
There are two ways of preparing the bread. Either toasting it or grilling it. It probably depends on how convenient it is and how you might want the olive oil to permeate the bread structure. Either way, both are acceptable.
There are many ways of preparing the starter though. You can add cheese like mozzarella and anchovy too. Bruschetta di Napoli is tomato and anchovy topping – what a treat!
Preparation: Cooking:
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
For the tomato topping:
- 3 – 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced but I’ve also just crushed and cut into small chunks
- 4 medium or 3 large ripe tomatoes (400-500g), diced. Keep the seeds in. I tend to go for beefsteak types but you can use varieties like Alicante and even the equivalent weight of cherry types like Moneymaker. If you feel cheeky add a few golden yellow types as well.
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped – optional but it adds a different texture and tone
- handful (5g) basil leaves – torn apart or cut into small pieces and shredded
- 1-2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- Pinch of crushed chilli flakes – optional but it just adds a bit of spicy attack.
- A few sliced black olives as garnish.
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
The Bread:
- Six ½-inch thick slices of Italian or French baguette bread.
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
Preparation:
- Into a large bowl, mix the onions, tomatoes, garlic and basil, taking care not to break the tomatoes up too much. Some people scoop out the seeds because it is claimed they add some bitterness and rely on just the flesh but its all a matter of taste. I do both!
- Add the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil with generous pinches of salt and pepper according to taste. The salt really brings out the tomato flavour and hides any bitterness.
- Mix thoroughly but not too vigorously. Cover and chill for at least an hour. If you haven’t time just let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. The flavour of tomato must at least have some time for blending with the oil and basil. Bring it out before serving if you want a stronger, room-temperature flavour.
- You have two main options for preparing the bread – both methods work equally well and offer slight differences in flavour. [1] Slice the baguette loaf diagonally into 12 thick slices and lightly toast them until they are just browned on both sides. Drizzle these bread slices on one side with any remaining oil before the tomato mix goes on. [2] The alternative is to place a grill pan over medium heat or prepare an outdoor barbecue grill for heating. Drizzle both sides of the slices with a small amount of oil and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side until warmed through and actual grill marks appear.
- Rub one side of the bread while still warm with garlic. About two or three rubbings/strokes per bread slice should do it.
- Give the tomato mixture a short stir just before serving and check the seasoning. Spoon the tomatoey mixture onto the warm slices of bread.
- Add a few sliced olives along with some basil leaves as a garnish.
- A. We just mop up the bowl of left over juice but it can be drizzled too onto the bread. I’m sure no one is watching!
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