What you need for four slices
Use four slices of country-style bread, about 2 cm thick, four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. Add one garlic clove if you like it. For the tomato version, allow roughly one small ripe tomato per slice. Day-old bread toasts well, although a very dry slice may need less time on the grill.
If the aim is to compare two olive oils, taste each on plain toasted bread first. Garlic and tomato are enjoyable, but they change what you perceive.
Toast, dress and serve
- Toast the bread on a hot grill for a few minutes on each side, until the surface is golden. In an oven, check it often; thickness and moisture change the timing.
- If using garlic, rub it lightly over the warm surface. Too much can overwhelm the oil.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil to each slice. Dice the tomato and drain it briefly if it is very watery.
- Finish with a little salt and serve while the bread is still crisp.
Choosing the oil
Warm bread makes an oil's aroma easier to notice. Ortice brings greener notes and more bitterness and pepperiness; Giolivo, from Leccino olives, gives a gentler result. A single-variety oil is not compulsory. A well-kept blend can be just as interesting, especially if you compare it with a different oil on a second slice.
Pour the oil after taking the bread off the heat. The point here is to taste it uncooked, not to claim that extra virgin olive oil can never be heated in other dishes.
If you add tomato
Add ripe diced tomato just before serving. Its moisture will soften the toast quickly, especially if the slices are thin. A milder oil lets the tomato lead; without tomato, the contrast between a mild and a more assertive oil is clearer.
For several guests, prepare the toppings ahead but dress each slice at the last moment. A bruschetta that loses its crunch after a while is not evidence that the oil was poor; it is simply what moisture does to toasted bread.
