PARENTHOOD.IE

There is more to Italian food than pasta. Bruschetta is an asy light Italian meal, while it is mostly a starter, just add a bit to it an it's a healthy and tasty meal that tastes of summer.

What you need (serves 4)

5-6 tomatoes

diced ½ red onion

finely sliced 1-2 cloves of garlic

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh and shopped basil leaves

Salt and pepper

1 baguette or ciabatta, alternatively several focaccia or even plain toast

4 portions of chicken breast or fish

What to do

Cut the bread up in small round slices, or cut larger pieces and then cut them in half. Add all ingredients into a bowl, diced tomatoes, finely sliced onions, chopped basil leaves, salt, pepper, balsamic and olive oil. Mix it with a spoon and taste it, you might want to add salt, pepper, vinegar or oil, to taste, and let it sit until the bread is ready. Toast them in the oven for 5-6 minutes or in the toaster, if they fit, until they are golden brown. When the toast is ready, take a peeled garlic cloves between your fingers and rub it onto the crust while it is still warm. Use at most ½ a clove per large piece of bread, unless you truly love garlic. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of the bread and serve it with chicken or fish.

The chicken breast or fish can either be steamed or fried on the pan, with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. It is just to add a bit of meat to the dish.

For a bit extra taste

You can either add add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese at the end if you are toasting the bread in the oven, or cut up some large pieces of fresh mozzarella and add it to the tomato mixture.