La bruschetta (pronounced broosketta) is an old peasant recipe which makes use of pane raffermo (left over bread). In the old days it could easily be preprepared during a short break whilst out working in the fields. Nowadays, it’s a popular Italian antipasto, the ‘nibble’ of choice to go with one’s aperitivo.

The generic name bruschetta comes from the now redundant verb bruscare, meaning ‘to toast’. Every region has its own variation: in Calabria there’s la fedda ruscia (the toasted slice), in Toscana la fett’unta (the greasy slice) or panunto (greasy bread), in Piemonte la soma d’aj (the load of garlic), to mention just a few.

“high quality extra virgin olive oil” … if you want the best you’ll just have to pick your own! Geoff harvesting olives in our garden last year.

The basic recipe is extremely simple, but as with all simple dishes it requires quality ingredients to turn out well. Let’s have a look at a basic bruschetta recipe:

Ingredients for 4 people:
8 slices of old home made bread about 1 cm thick; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled; high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Preparation:
Toast the bread on a barbecue if possible, but otherwise under a grill, or in the oven. The bread should be golden and crusty outside, but soft inside. While the bread is still warm, vigorously rub one side with the peeled garlic, using about one quarter of a clove per slice, and sprinkle with the extra virgin olive oil.

Variations:

This basic recipe can be varied ad infinitum, simply add your favourite herbs (origano e basilico sono le mie!), or other ingredients on top. A classic summer variation involves the use of fresh tomatoes chopped into little cubes and flavoured with fresh basil, all sprinkled with salt and extra virgin olive oil. But there’s no end to the possibilities, here’s a little list of topping suggestions:

roasted slices of melanzana (aubergine), peperoni (capsicum peppers) or radicchio;
sliced olive (olives) or tartufo (truffle);
cheese such as mozzarella, gorgonzola, taleggio, or brie;
meat such as prosciutto crudo di Parma, pancetta (bacon) or salsiccia (sausage);
acciughe (anchovies) or tonno e cipolle (tuna and onions);
parmigiano and sliced pera (pear)
gelato di pistacchio e fragole (pistachio ice cream and strawberries) … only joking!!! 😉

Bruschetta is best enjoyed whilst still warm with a glass of chilled dry white or rosé wine.

Buon Appetito