Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients (Serves 4)

6 medium ripe tomatoes, at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbspn olive oil

6 - 10 basil leaves, finely chopped

8 slices Italian or French bread, 2 cms thick

1 clove of garlic, peeled and left whole

Method

Halve the tomatoes, discard most of the seeds and cut into 1 cm chunks

Add the tomatoes to a medium sized bowl, add the salt pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Leave to sit for at least 30 minutes

Cut the French bread into 2 cm thick slices – cut diagonally so the slices come out oval shaped

Brush the slices lightly with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and grill until golden brown. Turn them over and repeat for the other side

Immediately upon taking the bread slices out from under the grill, rub them on both sides with the peeled garlic cloves, 2 or 3 strokes should be enough

Spoon the tomatoes onto the bread slices

Drizzle each slice with a little of the juice from the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle with the basil leaves and serve straight away