Italian bruschetta is the the perfect fast food

When I think about something yummy, quick and easy to make I always think of a good old Italian bruschetta. The basic recipe is actually only bread, salt and oil, or you can also rub some garlic on the bread to make it more tasty.

Since this is not actually a “recipe”, I won’t be giving you the ingredients, mainly because you can use pretty much whatever you like. Now let’s start with how you pronounce the word: it’s more like “bruce-ketta” than how I often hear “bru-shetta”.

Italian bruschetta: basic recipe

If you have a good quality bread (sourdough is the best!) you only need to broil the bread a few minutes until it gets a bit golden and crunchy on the outside and still soft on the inside. Every kind of bread is suitable for this purpose. Sandwich bread, italian bread, baguette.

Italian tomato bruschetta: basic recipe and a very useful trick!

If you want to try the classic tomato bruschetta, follow these steps:

• cut the tomatoes into small cubes,
• add herbs like oregano or basil and set aside
• broil or grill the bread
• put the bread on to a plate and when you’re ready to eat put the tomatoes on top and add salt and olive oil.

TRICK! If you add salt to the tomatoes before putting them on the bread, they’ll start to release the water and you’ll end up with a very very watery topping that would probably ruin your bruschetta. Seasoning the tomatoes only when you’re about the eat will keep the bread crunchy and the tomatoes will have a better refreshing taste.

A great way to reduce food waste!

Making Italian bruschetta is an easy way to reduce food waste and use up some leftovers. You can put on bruschetta whatever you have on hand, from vegetables to meat, to spread (try my super healthy dried tomato spread). Want to make it even tastier? Try my stir-fried veggie bruschetta! Stir fry some leafy greens like kale, spinach, dandelion, chards with some olive oil, garlic and chili pepper, then put it on top of the bruschetta, add some cheese and broil for a couple of minutes to let the cheese melt. Parmigiano or Grana are perfect!

The best ingredients for your bruschetta

No need to say that the key ingredients are bread and olive oil. Using artisanal or home made sourdough bread is the best choice, and when it comes the oil, find out a very high quality extra virgin olive oil. It should be a bit greenish, a bit sour and hot just enough to feel a pungent taste in the mouth. Try buying olive oil that is certified, the best oils come from Spain, Italy and Greece.