This is THE classic bruschetta recipe straight from Roma, Italy.
Bruschetta (crunchy toast loaded with aromatic tomatoes)
This is a very popular appetizer in Italy, also makes a wonderful little snack or light meal!!
Ingredients:
- a big slice of crusty bread / or two medium
- 1 big ripe but firm tomato, diced
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic (you don't have to use all of it)
- some fresh basil leaves, (if not available, a sprinkle of dried basil flakes)
- salt
I can tell you two ways to prepare this. One traditional, and the second a little modified for those who are worried about the "lethal aftereffect" of eating a raw garlic.
1. Traditional = broil the both side of the bread slice golden brown*. Cut the clove of the garlic in half, rub it onto one side of the bread evenly (as much or as little as you like). Heap the diced tomato on top, drizzle the olive oil, garnish with basil and salt to taste.
(*When you cook the bread on the broil setting in the oven, it can cook very quickly, so you need to watch it closely in order not to burn it (do not walk away to do something else!!). It will give you the crunchy and well-toasted surface while the inside still remain soft, yum!!)
2. Modified = mince or chop in very little pieces the garlic, then fry it in the olive oil... make sure to remove from the heat as soon as the garlic starts to colour lightly. They continue to cook in the hot oil for a while, so it is important to turn off the heat a little early not to burn them!! Brush this oil/garlic mixture onto one side the broiled bread (see the traditional method), then diced tomato, basil and salt.
However as Jkath pointed out, there are many, many variations. Instead of tomatoes, you can also use, for example grilled bell pepper, aubergene, artichoke, mushrooms, with or without cheese, just use your imagination. The key is to use a hearty crusty bread, and a good quality evoo!
