Bread Case

Jun 22 2008 Michael Kilkie Of The Jefferson Restaurant

Food Versatile Bruschetta Is The Tops For Taste

Today's recipe is my idea of sunshine food. I've given you three of my favourite ways to eat bruschetta (pronounced brus'ket'a).

Once you've followed my tips on how to make the perfect basic bruschetta, let your imagination go wild with the toppings.

Bruschetta comes from Italy and is basically toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil before being topped with any number of ingredients.

The most famous topping is the classic tomato one, either the tomatoes chopped and seasoned with a little salt and pepper and perhaps mixed with a little more oil and basil, or just sliced and placed straight on to the bread.

Today I've taken that idea a little further and added fresh buffalo mozzarella.

Traditionally, the bread used would be sourdough with a dense texture. You can buy it in most of the larger supermarkets these days but if you can't find any, use ciabatta or most other breads for that matter. The result will still be tasty. There are various ways of toasting the bread either under the grill, in the oven or on the barbecue, which gives an extra edge to the bruschetta with the lovely smokiness.

I like to drizzle the bread with extra virgin olive oil when it is cooked but you can drizzle the bread before you cook it with equally good results.

The important bit is getting the garlic flavour into the bread. This is done by rubbing a cut clove of garlic over one side as soon as it's cooked, allowing the bread to absorb the flavour.

In summer, I like to use cold toppings placed straight on to the bruschettas, like today's examples, and eat them straight away.

But you can use hot toppings or place the bruschettas back under the grill or in the oven to allow the toppings to warm through and the cheese to melt.

I often do this in the colder months but for this time of year, I like the freshness of the toppings as they are. A little drizzle of good olive oil on top is all you need to finish the perfect bruschetta.

To turn the bruschettas into a more snacky option, make them into crostini instead. The main difference would be that ciabatta bread would be used instead of sourdough. Crostini are also much smaller, often just bite size.

A great thing to use for crostini is a baguette thinly sliced at an angle, drizzle with a little olive oil and toast as you would the bruschetta. Allow the crostini to cool then top as you please.

Although bruschetta is traditionally Italian, you don't have to stick to Italian toppings. Unconventional toppings work well with them. One variety that always sells well in the restaurant is a bruschetta topped with black pudding, pancetta (basically chunks of Italian bacon), parmesan shavings and a softly poached egg. If you can get your hands on quails' eggs, these work well because of their dainty presentation.

TRIPLE TREAT OF TEMPTING BRUSCHETTA

TOMATO, BASIL AND BUFFALO MOZZARELLA

4 slices sourdough bread

Half clove garlic

Drizzle of olive oil

4 tomatoes, sliced

2 balls buffalo mozzarella, torn

Handful fresh chopped basil

Salt and pepper to taste

PARMA HAM, ROCKET AND SHAVED PARMESAN

4 slices sourdough bread

Half clove garlic

Drizzle of olive oil

8 slices Parma ham

Large handful fresh rocket

100g parmesan, shaved

Salt and pepper to taste

ROAST RED PEPPER, ROAST ARTICHOKE AND GOATS CHEESE

4 slices sourdough bread

Half clove garlic

Drizzle of olive oil

1 jar roast peppers

1 jar roast artichokes

4 slices of goats cheese, crumbled

2 red chillies, finely sliced (optional)

Handful fresh chopped coriander

Salt and pepper to taste For each bruschetta, toast the bread on either side either in the oven, under the grill, in a griddle pan or on the barbecue. Drizzle each slice with a little olive oil and rub all over with the garlic clove.

Place equal amounts of each topping on each respective bruschetta, season with salt and pepper and give each one another little drizzle of olive oil.