Aperitivo Inspried: Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a simple dish that consists of bread, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It is frequently served as an antipasti (appetizer) or at aperitivo (happy hour). This is so simple to make, why not just do it a home?

How to pronounce this? Simple: in Italian “sch” is like “k” (Fun fact: The Italian alphabet has 21 letters with only foreign/ancient words using j,k,w,x or y) So its bru-sket-ta. Honestly, chi se ne frega for how you pronounce it: its just delicious. The toasts that you prepare for the bruschetta can also be used for soups or it makes a great vehicle for prosciutto!

Ingredients:

• Crusty thick bread slices for toasts - I use a casareccio which is a simple white, but sourdough works too

• 1 cup/1 large hand full of grape or cherry tomatoes, washed

• 3-4 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 teaspoon in one tablespoon of olive oil (optional)

• 1 clove of garlic

• olive oil

• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Drizzle a bit of olive oil (you can use a brush if you feel fancy)on the bread and bake for 15-20 min until golden brown. While the bread is baking, prep the tomato mix. Chop the tomatoes into quarters or how ever you like. Cut the garlic clove in half and mince one half and add to the tomatoes - save the other half for the toasts. Chop the basil and add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together and let the salt draw out the liquid of the tomatoes. When the bread is ready, take the remaining half of the garlic clove and rub against the hot bread. (If this is too much garlic, you can skip this step, but it is really tasty!) Serve as a snack with friends, or pair with a nice glass of red wine and you have yourself a vegan dinner. Enjoy!