← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 400 g ripe tomatoes
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 handful basil leaves, torn
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar (optional)
• salt and black pepper
• 8 slices rustic bread (sourdough or ciabatta), about 1.5 cm thick
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and halved

Method

1. Dice the tomatoes, scraping in all their juice, and put them in a bowl with 2 tbsp of the oil, the basil, vinegar if using, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Leave for 10 min so the flavours mingle.
2. Toast or griddle the bread over high heat for 1–2 min per side, until crisp and lightly charred at the edges.
3. While the toast is still hot, rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic. The rough surface grates the garlic like a cheese grater.
4. Drizzle the toasts with the rest of the oil, spoon the tomatoes on top and eat straight away, before the bread goes soft.

Tips

• Only top the bread just before serving, or it turns soggy.
• This is only as good as your tomatoes, so make it in summer when they are at their best.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great Italian Chefs Jamie Oliver