Bruschetta is a great way to use up left-over bread. A quick dish to put together, with few ingredients, most of them already in your pantry, cooking cannot get easier and simpler than this. This is a very versatile dish - can be an appetizing starter to an elaborate Italian dinner or can just accompany a soup for a hearty and light supper.


Bruschetta is said to have originated in the Tuscany region of Italy, although many variations of this dish are prevalent now, with Italian and Mediterranean twist. What I made tonight was a simple Tomato-Basil-Mozzarella Bruschetta.

1 baguette bread - cut into 1/2″ slices at an angle
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 Tbsp basil chiffonade
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mozzarella - cut into 1/8″ slices
salt & pepper to taste
a dash of oregano - dried or fresh

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Meanwhile, bring a cup of water to a boil and add the tomatoes, turn off the gas and let it sit for couple of minutes. Take the tomatoes out, and skin them. Remove the juice and seeds (save the juice for pasta sauce or rasam) and cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Add the basil chiffonades, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano to this. Mix this well and keep aside. Coat olive oil on both sides of the bread slices using a pastry brush and toast them in the oven for about 8 minutes.

To assemble, stack the bread slice and mozzarella on top of each other. Place a scoop of the tomato-basil mixture on top of this. Arrange it in a platter and you are all set!