Garlic and tomato bruschetta

Summer weather, hot and sunny days have welcomed us back home.
During these last days of vacation we have been visiting friends and relatives, sharing holiday tales and memories. M. at last could play around with her cousins and peers while we were asked many questions about our trip to Montrèal, which of course we were very glad to answer...
I didn't have much time to cook and unfortunately we bought more stuff than we actually needed.

Take bread, for instance. As usual, we had some that was going stale in the cupboard....
Italians have always been very creative with stale bread though: bruschetta, panzanella, pappa al pomodoro, canederli, and so forth.

Garlic and tomato bruschetta is our favourite. Cheap, easy and tasty. 
It makes a perfect appetizer or a healthy snack between meals.
R., my husband, is the master chef. He will perfectly toast the bread golden brown and coat it - litterally coat it - with garlic.

Tuscan crusty bread makes the best bruschetta, but other kinds of bread will do as well (as you can see in the picture we used a baguette...). The main ingredient is a good extra-virgin olive oil, then you can be creative! In fact, there are many variations on this basic tomato bruschetta recipe and we often add any of the leftovers at hand in the fridge: grilled aubergines and black olives being among my favourite during the summer....



Ingredients (serves 2):

tuscan crusty bread: 4 slices (approximately 1 cm - 3/8 inch thick)
garlic: 1 clove - peeled
cherry tomatoes: 1 cup - diced or roughly chopped
fresh chilli pepper: 1 - whole (optional)
extra virgin olive oil: 4 teaspoons
salt: 1pinch
basil or oregan: to taste


Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toast or grill the bread on both sides until the slices are golden brown (5 minutes approximately). Arrange the bread slices on a plate then rub with garlic clove and chilli pepper.
Add the tomatoes and season to taste. Garnish with fresh basil or dry oregan. Drizzle with olive oil and serve while still warm.