Bruschetta can be served as an appetizer, a side dish, or a simple snack. Pronounced bru'shet'a in English, and brus ket'a in Italian, this dish dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy.

It is so easy to prepare; all you need is fresh, ripe ingredients and a very good extra virgin olive oil. Here's how easy it is: Cut a few slices of Italian or French bread and toast about 1 inch thick and toast it to a golden brown color. Take a piece of garlic and lightly rub it on one side of the toast. On this very side top each slice of toast with the tomato basil mixture (see recipe below) and top this with a dash of sea salt and cracked black pepper. That's it!


Tomato Basil Bruschetta
serves two

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of French Baguette or Italian Bread cut on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 ripe tomato, finely diced
• 4 slices of sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced
• 4 large or 8 small fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips (or finely diced)
  
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and cracked pepper to taste
  

1. Toast the four slices of bread to a golden brown

2. Take the garlic clove and gently rub it across each slice to subtly add a garlic flavor to each slice. The harder you rub the more garlic flavor it will impart--remebmer raw garlic is pretty strong.

3. In a small bowl add the diced tomatoes, basil strips, and the diced sun-dried tomatoes. Add the olive oil and blend all ingredients together.

4. Place the toasted slices of bread on a plate. Top with the tomato basil mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.