I have an inexplicable penchant for Bruschetta. No matter where I go to dine, if there’s Bruschetta on the menu, I must order it. It’s only recently that I decided to try it out at home. It’s a very simple recipe and delicious too. It makes a wonderful appetizer and it’s no deal making a batch of 10-20 when you have guests. Bruschetta has its origin in Italy and tastes best with extra virgin olive oil. The variations for the topping may include spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese. The most popular recipe outside of Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic, onion and mozzarella. I’ve tried out the latter.
Ingredients:
• Any loaf of Italian or French bread
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper powder
• 1 garlic pod
• 6-7 leaves of fresh basil
• 2-3 tbsp of grated Mozzarella cheese
Method:
• Slice the loaf into ½ inch thick slices
• Heat the oven and place the slices in it till they are slightly brown and crisp.
• Chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil and put it in a bowl.
• Add salt, pepper powder and olive oil and mix well
• Leave the mixture for about ½ hour so that the olive seeps into the other ingredients well.
• Now remove the toasted slices from the oven, place a spoonful of mixture on each slice and top it with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Again place the slices on a tray and put it in the oven at 200 degrees till the cheese melts and spreads.
• Serve warm
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3