Slow-Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
PREP 20 minutes
COOK 1 hour 30 minutes
SERVES 4 as a snack, side or light meal
You can’t go past a good bruschetta, and this one is extraordinary. It’s pronounced ‘brew-sketta’ and you can roll your “r” there to be more bellissimo. I’ve stuck to a fairly traditional method there except I’ve slow-roasted the tomatoes to bring out that luscious ripe summer sweetness. The Basil Oil is an extra step but it adds a little bit of magic, especially if you’re serving this up to guests. As with any simple dish, it’s the quality of the ingredients that counts – so look for lush, fruity, deep green extra virgin olive oil, ripe in-season tomatoes and good-quality bread (stay away from the powdery old baguette! Mamma mia, that’s French). The avocado option will have Italian nonnas everywhere clutching their pearls, but it’s a great cheese substitute if you can’t get or don’t eat bocconcini or mozzarella. There’s so much flavour in this dish that it works as a light dinner just by itself.
Ingredients
1 loaf ciabatta or sourdough (a day old is fine)
good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved crossways
fresh bocconcini or mozzarella (plant-based if preferred) or avocado
TOMATOES
500-600g (1 lb 2 oz – 1 lb 5 oz) red cherry tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp coconut sugar
1 tsp salt
BASIL OIL
1/2 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
To make
To roast the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 130°C (250°F) regular bake and line a small roasting tray with baking paper.
Halve the tomatoes, then place in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, coconut sugar, salt and a good crack of black pepper. Toss to combine, then pour everything onto the prepared tray. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until sticky and just starting to caramelise. Leave to cool down to room temperature (they will shrivel a bit).
When the roasted garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze it out of its skins, chop roughly and add back to the tomatoes.
To make the Basil Oil, place the olive oil, basil, lemon juice or vinegar and a pinch of salt in a small food processor or bullet and whizz until smooth. Set aside in a jar, small bowl or just until needed.
To make the bruschetta, preheat the oven grill to medium-high. Cut the bread into 1.5cm (5/8 in) slices and arrange on a baking tray.
When ready to serve, grill the bread slices, turning once, until golden on both sides. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, firmly rub one side of each slice with the exposed flesh of half a garlic clove to infuse it with delicious garlic flavour.
Top each garlic-rubbed toast with roasted tomatoes, then a drizzle of the tomato cooking juices. Top with your choice of cheese or avocado and a little Basil Oil. Season with cracked pepper (you probably won’t need salt). Serve immediately while it’s still warm, and before it goes soggy.
TIPS & SWAPS
– If you don’t have time to make the Basil Oil, just use torn basil leaves instead.
