John Torode's tasty bruschetta
Nothing says summertime quite like British tomatoes! As we enjoy the peak fortnight for British tomato season, John Torode is live from Eric Wall Ltd tomato nursery in West Sussex to show us how to make the perfect snack for a hot day - tasty bruschetta.
John's posh tomatoes on toast with marinated mozzarella
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the bread
½ sourdough loaf
50ml olive oil
1 clove garlic
5g salt
For the garlic puree
100g garlic
10ml chicken stock
50ml olive oil
5g salt
For the mozzarella marinade
½ tsp fennel seeds
Grated zest of 1 lemon
15 basil leaves, shredded
2 tsp chopped oregano
2 tsp best-quality extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish
2 tsp rapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp Maldon sea salt
Black pepper
2 large buffalo mozzarella
For the tomatoes
A good handful of cherry tomatoes, pan roasted
Mixture of different tomatoes
Vinegar, I used red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Chopped mixed herbs
1 banana shallot
Method
1. Slice the bread and then drizzle with olive oil, rub all over with the garlic clove and season with salt and then griddle in a hot pan
2. Roast the garlic in a moderate oven until soft. Squeeze out from the skin, blitz with the stock, oil and salt to produce a smooth puree (or just squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves and use as a paste).
3. To make the marinade, scatter the fennel seeds in a small frying pan and dry-roast until they begin to pop. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush roughly. Place the crushed seeds in a small bowl and add the remaining marinade ingredients.
4. Break the mozzarella roughly with your hands. Smear it with the marinade and set aside for 15-30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, take the raw tomatoes - chop some, slice some and then mix them with some vinegar and salt and leave for 5 minutes
6. Now slice the shallots and mix with the tomatoes and the herbs of your choice and season with black pepper
7. Spread the bread with the garlic puree and then top with some mozzarella, then tomatoes and repeat with all the bread
8. Serve straight away and enjoy!