Bruscetta (made in Italy!)

Bruschetta (Made in Italy)

Tawnya and I enjoying our Bruschetta

While in Florence Italy, we spent one day doing cooking classes in the country-side of Tuscany.  After shopping for our fresh tomatoes at a fruit market, and bread at the Mercato Centrale, we made this appetizer.  

A fun fact that we learned was that Tuscan bread is not made with salt, unlike many other breads. 

 This version is super simple, but with good quality tomatoes, you'll have to be careful not to get full before dinner!   

Fruit and Vegetable Market

Bread store purchase

View of the Tuscan hillside from where we cooked!

The perfect starter….Simple to prepare but exceptionally fresh and delicious. 

We used the tomatoes to the right (vine ripened)
but I loved this other unique kind, which
has less juice, which you can use for pizza toppings!

Ingredients:
Tuscan Bread (enough for 4 chunky slices)
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
2 handfuls of fresh mixed ripe tomatoes
a small bunch of fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Dice the tomatoes. 

Put them in a bowl and add the chopped basil leaves, salt, chopped garlic and olive oil and mix them together. (In Italy, they liberally use salt, so make sure to use an "Italian Pinch" here.) 

Tawnya using the half-moon to chopped the basil and garlic

Thickly slice the bread and grill or toast on both sides. 

Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. (The extra olive oil, which was actually harvested at this location, helps set it apart from an average recipe.) 

Spoon on the tomato mix and enjoy. 

Tour Link: http://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Cooking-Class-and-Lunch-at-a-Tuscan-Farmhouse-with-Local-Market-Tour-from-Florence/d519-5070FARMHOUSE