Bruschetta

("Bruschetta" - Pani Cunzatu)

To make the bruschetta is an easy undertaking. The bruschetta is sliced Italian
bread rubbed with fresh garlic, drizzled with olive oil sprinkled with salt, placed on
an oven rack and toasted until golden and lightly crispy.
The word derives from the Italian bruscare or abbrustolire meaning to toast or to
roast.
In restaurants, and particularly in the United States, the bruschetta has been
upgraded and enriched. The results are a variety of bruschette filled with a myriad
of vegetables, meats, fish, and cheeses and very often their combination.
Therefore the most important ingredient to make bruschetta is fantasy and
creativity and the necessary ingenuity to use what your pantry or your refrigerator
can offer you.
Ingredients for the Basic Bruschetta
1 loaf of Italian bread, similar to a baguette
2 cloves of garlic
cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice bread (about inch) 20 to 24 pieces.
Rub each slice with garlic and brush with olive oil.
Place slices in a baking pan and toast until golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
Drizzle with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.

Variations
Make the bruschette and garnish with a teaspoon of any of the following topping.
Tomato

Mix in a bowl lb. diced tomato, small red onion, 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
oregano salt and pepper. Sprinkle on each grated ricotta salata or grated cheese.
Vegetable
Saut chopped mushrooms in olive oil and garlic or saut your preferred vegetable,
chop it and spread on top of bruschetta.
Bottarga Uovo di Tonno
Dried salted tuna roe. Place a thin slice of bottarga on each bruschetta and drizzle
with a few drops of olive oil.
Olives and Anchovies
Make a paste combining 12 pitted black olives, 3 anchovies, and 2 tablespoons of
olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread paste on each bruschetta and garnish
with of a black olive.