Bruschetta with Tomatoes
Ingredients
One oval shaped loaf (white bread)/ four pav buns cut into slices (horizontally)
Garlic cloves (minced): 4
Butter/ extra virgin Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Fresh basil (chopped)/ dry basil: 1 tbsp/ 1 tsp
Large ripe tomatoes: 4
Tomato sauce: 1 tbsp
Stoned black olives: 8
Mozzarella cheese (sliced or grated): 55 g
Salt and pepper: to taste
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Dressing
Extra virgin Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Honey: 1 tsp
Method
Toast the bread slices either in a toaster or on a non-stick frying pan until golden. Beat the garlic with the butter / olive oil and basil together in a bowl and spread on to each golden slice. Cut a cross shape at the top of each tomato. Plunge the tomatoes in a pan of boiling water (this is to make the skin easier to peel). After a few minutes, pick each tomato up with a fork and peel away the skin. Chop the tomato flesh into small pieces and mix with the tomato sauce and olives. Now stir in the dressing by mixing up all the dressing ingredients together. Divide this mixture between the toasts or pav buns. Arrange the Mozzarella cheese on top and season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill the assembled toasts for one to two minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.
P.S. Cottage cheese (paneer) can be mixed with the mozzarella. Non vegetarians can add tinned tuna / cooked mince (beef, lamb /chicken by halving the number of tomatoes)
(Jagee John hosts a cookery show on television)
