Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

 

Like so many of Italy’s best dishes, bruschetta owes its origins to la cucina povera, a marriage of frugality and ingenuity among Italy’s rural communities who dictated that nothing edible must ever be tossed out. The simple act of toasting and topping the bread with quality ingredients such as sun-ripened, organic tomatoes and an impeccable extra virgin olive oil topped with Maldon salt and fresh chopped basil, positively shouts summer.

Basic bruschetta is remarkably simple, comprised of a toasted or grilled slice of bread – preferably a rustic, hardy kind such as Tuscan or Pugliese – rubbed with fresh garlic while still warm, then drizzled with olive oil and dusted with salt and pepper. In many places, the custom is to brush these ingredients on both sides of the toasted bread, making for a wonderfully heady flavour experience and gloriously messy fingers. Made with our own cherry tomatoes and basil home grown from seed, this bruschetta was an extra special treat.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
Serves 2

4 large slices of bread, such as rustic sourdough
20 baby cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthwise in half
4 basil leaves, plus more to garnish
Sea salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the tomatoes together in a small bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, in one layer on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes (45 minutes if using larger Campari tomatoes) until the tomatoes are soft, slightly shrunken and lightly caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool. 

Grill or toast the bread slices until golden on both sides. Rub each piece with the cut sides of garlic (or rub both sides for more zing). Spoon the roasted tomato mixture on top of each slice and top with a drizzle of olive oil, to taste. Season with Maldon salt and garnish with sliced fresh basil leaves.