Once and for all, just so we are all on the same page here, bruschetta is pronounced “brosketta”. Most Norwegians do not know this and will correct me when I say it this way, and insist on using the ch-sound instead. Anyway, my favorite way of serving bruschetta is like on the photo above (minus the plastic containers). Here you can choose what to put on the bread yourself – and even mix by using pesto as butter, and put the tomato stuff on top. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the dish too, and it is ready!
My favorite bruschetta place is Bar Enrica in Manarola, Italy. The summer of 2008 I think we had both breakfast and lunch at Bar Enrica every day of our vacation because of their wonderful bruschettas with various delicious toppings.
Classica Piú, Gorgonzola e noci, Mediterranea. From Bar Enrica, Manarola.
More photos from my Italy 2008 holiday.
In the bruschetta I make, the tomato salsa takes some time to prepare. The ingredients:
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Cherry tomatoes
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
Basil
Sugar
Salt
Chopped onions and a couple of fine-chopped garlic cloves in a large frying pan with some olive oil. Add chopped fresh tomatoes after a bit. The more fresh, tasty tomatoes, the better, but if you need to make a large amount, hermetic tomatoes work fine as well. I normally use a combo of the two. I let it simmer over a low heat for quite some time (30-45 minutes), and add a bit of water if the salsa gets too dry. Towards the end I add some balsamic vinegar (a couple of tablespoons), lots of fresh basil, and a bit of salt and sugar to adjust the taste. If the tomatoes are very sweet, then skip the sugar. The salsa is best served cold on crispy bread with grated parmesan cheese, green pesto, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on the table.