Bruschetta with Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil – Step-by-Step Recipe

Step-by-step recipe

1. An important note: bruschetta is quick to make and should be eaten right away. Don't put it off. Alternatively, you can toast the bread in advance and add the topping just before the meal.
   
2. I remembered a magnificent sandwich a friend and I once bought at a supermarket as a snack for a fishing trip. A huge fresh loaf with sausage, tomatoes, onion, pickled cucumbers, lettuce, sauce… and God knows what else. It was very tasty. And the bruschetta I made today was beyond compare. A great snack when dinner is still a long way off and lunch was a long time ago.
   
3. As I've already said, an ordinary French baguette works perfectly. I recommend cutting the baguette not straight across but at a fairly sharp angle. That makes each toast bigger, and it is easier to toast the bread and arrange the topping.
4. The usual advice is to toast the bread on a grill. That is certainly very good advice, but most of the time it just isn't practical. At home it is convenient to toast the slices in a very hot frying pan or on a griddle. Without oil. A grill pan is especially handy: the bread gets beautiful golden stripes. Toast the slices until they just begin to brown. Then again, many people like their bread well toasted. So it's up to you — just don't turn it all into charcoal.
5. So, toast the slices of white bread or baguette. Put them on a flat plate and let them cool a little so they don't burn your hands.
   
6. You need a ripe tomato, but not an overripe one. Scald the tomato with boiling water and peel off the skin. Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the flesh into small cubes.
   
7. While you were cutting the tomato, the toasted bread has cooled a little. Peel a clove of garlic and rub it over the slices of toasted bread. If the bread is well toasted, the garlic grates against it very easily. And if you love garlic, nobody will stop you from rubbing in two or even three cloves.
   
8. Brush the slices of bread fairly generously with olive oil — the very best. The best olive oil is usually labelled Extra-virgin olive oil. It is fresh oil pressed straight from the olives — the first pressing, with no extra tricks. It's worth saying that the toast is oiled quite generously: more than a few drops, but not so much that the oil runs.
9. Chop the green basil leaves finely or, better still, tear them into small pieces with your fingers — then the basil won't release its juice and go watery. They also say that basil changes its flavour when it touches a knife. I use a ceramic knife and think everything turns out just right.
10. Mix the diced tomato with the chopped basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of dried oregano is often recommended. Stir and add just a little olive oil.
11. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes, the same as the tomato.
    
12. I should add that how you cut the ingredients for the sandwich is up to you. You can just as well cut everything into small slices. It will be every bit as good.
13. Arrange the mozzarella on the slices of prepared bread.
    
14. Spoon the tomato and basil mixture over the mozzarella. Level the topping with a knife and a spoon so that it sits on the bread and not on the plate.
    
15. Top the bruschetta with green basil leaves.
    
16. The bruschetta is ready. All that's left is to serve it.
17. A wonderful and remarkably tasty snack — just something to eat when you feel hungry. If you like, you can vary the topping with prosciutto, processed cheese, parsley and dill, smoked fish and so on.