Bruschetta

Greet friends as they sit down at table with a heaping plate of bruschetta. From Italy, where it is traditionally a workman’s midday snack, bruschetta is thickly sliced country bread grilled over an open fire, then rubbed while warm with a clove of garlic, drizzled with exquisitely fruity green olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. Bruschetta can be embellished further with chunks of red ripe tomato, fresh basil, or arugula leaves, or slivers of salty Parmesan or rosy prosciutto with a grind or two of black pepper. Dressed simply or to the nines, bruschetta is a very warm way of breaking bread before a rustic meal.