Bruschetta mix

Tangy tomatoes, beautiful basil: Add a touch of garlic and oil and it's an Italian summer on toast! Or with chicken, or with fish, or pretty much any food you feel like. It's a great starter or to go with drinks when tomatoes and basil are at their best. Because it's so simple, the flavour of the tomatoes really counts, so I like using baby vine tomatoes, or ones that come from our garden. Big tomatoes work equally well (just more chopping) but make sure they taste great.

While it can be a little time-consuming to chop the ingredients by hand if you are making bruschetta for lots of people, it gives a better taste than using a food mixer -- well worth it!

Serves: 8-10 portions as an appetizer (2 pieces each, although be warned, our family tends to eat more than 2 pieces!); also good as a side sauce for simple meat/fish

Time to prepare/cook: Approximately 15 minutes to make, one hour to rest before serving. Lasts 2-3 days in the fridge (if any is left)

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Ingredients

• 250g baby tomatoes, chopped finely

• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic

• Handful of finely chopped basil leaves

• Salt & pepper (6 turns each of salt/pepper grinder)

• Pinch of herbes de provence if available

• Good olive oil

• French bread/baguette or ciabatta or olive bread

Method

• Chop tomatoes and basil and put into a mixing/serving bowl; the tomatoes should be producing lots of nice juice

• Add a couple of splashes of olive oil, the crushed garlic, salt and pepper; mix well

• Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed

• Leave at room temperature for an hour before serving to allow the flavours to blend

• Just before serving, cut small rounds of baguette and toast lightly, put some of the bruschetta mix on top of the toast and serve