It is pronounced broo-sket-ta, and it is a way of tasting olive oil rather than a way of using up bread. Which means there is nowhere for a mediocre oil to hide — this is the recipe that tells you whether what you bought is any good.
What you need
- 4 thick slices of good bread (sourdough, ciabatta or a country loaf)
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- Extra virgin olive oil, the best you have
- Salt, black pepper
- Basil
- Optional: a few drops of balsamic vinegar of Modena
Method
- Chop the tomatoes into rough 1cm pieces, put them in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, and leave them 15 minutes. They will let go of some water — pour it off, or the bread goes soft.
- Grill or toast the bread until it is properly charred at the edges. Not golden. Charred — that roughness is what the garlic catches on.
- Rub the cut garlic clove over the hot bread, once or twice, no more. The clove wears down as you go and that is exactly the right amount.
- Pour the oil over generously while the toast is still hot, so it soaks in rather than sitting on top. Be more generous than feels reasonable.
- Spoon the tomatoes on, tear over basil, and finish with black pepper and a last thread of oil.
- Eat straight away, standing up, over the board.
Notes
Never refrigerate the tomatoes. Cold kills the aroma, and it does not come back when they warm up. Room temperature, always.
The oil goes on hot bread. Warm bread absorbs it; cold bread wears it.
Balsamic is optional and easy to overdo. A few drops, at the end, or leave it out — a good tomato does not need rescuing.
Serves 4 as an antipasto.