Bruschetta “pronounced bru’sketta” is a wonderful antipasto (starter dish) from Italy. Grilled bread is rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and topped with a variety of toppings that range from humble to luxurious: tomatoes, herbs, cheeses, flaked meat, marinated vegetables, it is really up to your taste and imagination. The only rule is, use something fresh, in season and have fun!

Since I often write about Arabic and middle eastern recipes and try to explain the link between the name and the actual recipe, I have developed the habit of looking up word roots! The noun bruschetta comes from the Roman dialect verb bruscare, meaning ‘to roast over coals’. It is believed that the dish probably originated in ancient Rome, when olive growers bringing their olives to the local olive press would toast slices of bread to sample their fresh-pressed oil.

The most popular form of bruschetta uses a topping of tomatoes, basil and occasionally mozzarella cheese and though this is a heavenly combination, in my book the ultimate tomato-herb combo is tomato, mint and a touch of lemon juice.

As a kid this was THE salad on my mum’s Ramadan table. Fresh juicy tomatoes, loads of fresh fragrant mint, lemon juice, a dash of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. It does not get any simpler than that but try scooping some with a piece of warm pita bread ,the flavors are mind blowing.

For March, my Secret recipe club assignment was Mother would know by the lovely Laura.

Laura has a wonderful collection of recipes and it was a treat to go through her archives. I bookmarked her Avocado Toast with Feta and Za’atar ,and her chocolate coconut and pecan bars  but as the kids get to call my SRC choices we ended up making her bruschetta because my kids LOVE bruschetta.

I loved reading her “about” section in which she explains the reason behind choosing her blog name

“I’m all in favor of you calling your own mother – or father – with cooking questions. The difference between asking them and checking in with me is that this a “no nagging zone.”  As someone who has been on the receiving end of a nag or two from her own mother, I appreciate that sometimes all you want it a quick, to-the-point bit of cooking information or a recipe.”

 

Tomato and mint bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut on the diagonal into about 15-20 slices ¾ -inch thick
• ¼ cup or more of olive oil
• 2 – 3 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half, you can also use finely chopped regular tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• Handful of  mint
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• crumbled Feta cheese “Optional”

Preparation

1. If using regular tomatoes cut the tomatoes in half , scoop out and discard the insides.  The juice or seeds  will make the bruschetta too soggy.Chop the tomatoes
2. For the mint,  stack the mint leaves on top of each other, roll into a narrow cigar and slice horizontally into very narrow slices. When the slices unroll they will make thin ribbons
3. Add the mint to the chopped tomatoes, toss to combine
4. Place the baguette slices on the grill, in a grill pan or in an oven tray and brush or drizzle with olive oil
5. Broil or grill the baguette slices for about , until they are golden .If you like your bread crunchy, flip the slices and grill on the other side. If you like it chewy, grill on one side only
6. Top with the tomato, mint mixture. Lightly press down the mixture so that it doesn’t fall off easily.
7. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and drizzle a bit more olive oil if you wish.

Notes:

Bruschetta should be served soon after making or else it will go soggy.

You can store the grilled bread (after allowing it to cool completely) in an ear tight container for a few hours. This allows you to make them ahead of time

You can add some crumbled feta on top of the bruschetta. Mint, feta and tomatoes is a wonderful combination