TUSCAN RECIPES … today, TUSCAN BRUSCHETTA con POMODORI
Nonna Margherita Dottorelli in her kitchen, 1905
Some excellent Tuscan recipes from her granddaughter, Marta, who refuses to be just a character in a novel made up by that writer
Bruschetta con Pomodori
YES IT IS TOO BAD that the neighbours in our zona did not like Signora Chiara’s uncle. But what a fine scherzo he pulled, writing those newspaper articles before he died, hinting that he had come upon some undiscovered Etruscan ruin. Now see how those neighbours are running to the Signora, to get their hands on his notes and papers! I think he will be laughing in his after life.
Tristemente, the Signora too has been asking about those notes and papers – asking even me. (The writer put her up to this!) As if I, Marta Dottorelli, would go prying among his private things!
Beh! I will give you now one more way to make bruschetta.
First you will want one lovely ripe tomato for each person, but not too big.
You should ignore all those stranieri cookbooks that say you should peel these, by scalding them in boiling water, and then removing the seeds. Che modo brutale!.
No, with your lovely knife very sharp you will chop these tomatoes into calm small pieces, then mix in a bowl with garlic made very fine, as much garlic as you like (remember this is very good for keeping away the evil spirits!) and some leaves of basil in small pieces gently torn. Also some good black pepper.
This you will let wait so all the flavours can become friendly, while you make some pieces of grilled Tuscan bread and put one on each plate, and then top these, each, with a good helping of the tomatoes waiting in the bowl.
You will sprinkle on a little sea salt.
Ecco! A happy explosion of the Tuscan flavours, for starting off your meal with friends or family.
(Please remember to pronounce this dish correctly, with in the middle a K sound, as I have said before. Imagine that it is spelled, in your language, brusKKetta.)
Grazie. Arrivederci!