Nothing makes me more excited about summer than the taste of simple cold dishes that tickle my taste buds and please the eye with vibrancy of natural colours.
I remember hot summer afternoons spend in my grandparents allotment where they used to grow their own tomatoes. I remember the very first time I have tried the a home grown tomato straight from the vine. It was truly magical, the balance of acidic sharpness mixed together with sweetness is exactly what makes tomatoes my ultimate favourite ingredient to cook with in he summer.
With summer in London being very generous this year and hardly any rainy days cooking becomes less of a priority as I want to be outdoor as much as possible. That’s why my summer diet is usually based with very simple and quick dishes. Bruschetta is extremely simple yet delicious and if done with right ingredients nutritious. It’s probably one of my favourite starters as to me this dish is a little bit like a Christmas cake in a sense that everybody knows the principle of yet every cook puts his own twist on it. That is probably why if I see it on the menu I end up ordering two starters and bruschetta is always one of them to share around the table.
My recipe is very traditional as it only involves 7 ingredients and it’s also very cheap. Yes I use the fancier tomatoes however they are available from Lidl for 99p. But you can use your own choice of tomato if you can’t find them in your local supermarket.
Ingredients (serves 1):
- Handful of snack tomatoes (or any tomatoes)
- 4 basil leaves
- Half of spring onion
- Slice of bread
- One Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- Half of low fat mozzarella
- Salt and pepper (freshly ground)
Step 1: Cut the tomatoes into quarters and transfer to a bowl, add chopped spring onion and basil
Step 2: Drizzle the olive oil and season with salt and pepper and toss.
Step 3: Toast the bread and top with the tomato salad, scatter few pieces of mozzarella
Enjoy 🙂