Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Method

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the watery seeds with a teaspoon, then dice the flesh into 1 cm cubes. Put them in a sieve set over a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, toss and leave to drain for 10 min. Removing the excess juice keeps the bread crisp instead of soggy.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 300 gSalt ½ tsp

2. Tip the drained tomatoes into a bowl (discard the juice or drink it). Tear the basil into small pieces with your fingers, add it to the tomatoes with the olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper, and mix gently. Tearing instead of chopping keeps basil from turning black.

   Add in this stepFresh basil leaves 8Extra-virgin olive oil 1¾ tbspBlack pepper to taste

3. Heat a grill pan or a dry frying pan over medium-high heat and toast the bread for 2 min per side, until golden with dark marks, crisp outside but still a little soft in the middle. Don't overlap the slices; toast them in batches (number of batches: 1). An oven grill also works, but watch closely: it needs only 1 to 2 minutes per side.

   Add in this stepRustic Italian bread or ciabatta, sliced 1.5 cm thick 4

   medium-high heat

4. While the bread is still hot, rub one side of each slice firmly with a halved garlic clove; the rough crust grates the garlic like sandpaper. Two or three strokes give a gentle flavour, more if you like it strong. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlicky side.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves, peeled 1Extra-virgin olive oil 1¼ tbsp

5. Just before serving, spoon the tomatoes onto the bread, let a little of the juice soak in, and eat straight away while the toast is still crunchy.