Recipe #32 Bruschetta from Italy

Toscany Bread - sliced, then cut in half and toasted in upper third of oven

- 220 degrees C

The toppings include: Tomato, Olive Oil, Sausage & Eggplant

To prepare olive oil and garlic:

In a small bowl, add grated garlic to 1/2 cup of oil oil and set aside.

To prepare eggplant:

Skin the eggplant, then slice about 1/4 inch thick

In a large skillet, add sea salt and olive oil, then add the eggplant slices. Turning only once, cook until tender. Set aside to cool, then cut into bit size pieces. Add a little of your favourite cheese just before putting in the oven.

To prepare tomatoes:

Remove seeds and dice into small cubes. You can use cherry tomatoes.

Chop fresh basil leaves and add to tomatoes.

Slice garlic with a paring knife & chop finely, then add to tomatoes & basil mixture. Add 3 tbsp olive oil and salt & pepper to taste - set aside until ready for the oven - then add a little pecorino cheese.

To prepare sausage mixture:

Mix 1/2 lb of ground pork with 200 gm of Certosino or Stragino cheese. You can fry the sausage mixture in a pan if you like - it will also cook in the oven.

After toasting the bread, rub the toasts with garlic and then add a little of each mixture on the bread, cover with a little grated pecorino cheese and return to the oven - just to melt the cheese.

Serve and enjoy - the pictures above were taken at the cooking school in Florence Italy - November 2005.

Remember - use a good olive oil - it will make all the difference in your cooking. Here is the website link where we get our olive oil:

http://www.myolivetrees.com/main.shtml