A Trip to Italy – Grilled Bruschetta

About 10 or 11 years ago, we were lucky enough to take a family trip to Italy. Our children must have been about 6 and 8. On this particular day, we spent a long time driving to our next destination; a beautiful hotel in the Tuscan countryside. When we arrived it was hot, and we were all exhausted and a bit cranky. All the kids wanted to do was get in the pool, and all we wanted to do was have a glass of wine. So we decided to just eat at the hotel instead of searching for a restaurant for dinner that evening. I don’t remember what we ordered, except for the bruschetta.

In the US, bruschetta  is often prepared as a small, thin piece of brittle toast – crostini – almost like a cracker, maybe baked with a spray of olive oil, topped with some wan, pale tomatoes. What was served to us in Italy was definitely not that.

The chefs used thick slabs of rustic bread, which they smeared with a cut clove of garlic. They doused it in fragrant olive oil, and then grilled it, crowning it with beautiful, fresh-picked chopped tomatoes.

I discovered that the difference between good bruschetta and great bruschetta is the grill. It adds character and depth to a simple creation that is really not much more than toast smothered in tomatoes. Using a grill allows the thick bread to be crispy in some spots, and chewy in others. Some spots get a light char, while others are barely toasted. The result is that every bite is slightly different.

After returning from our wonderful Italy trip, I quickly began figuring out the best way to replicate this Tuscan bruschetta, adapting the recipe to our tastes. The recipe I settled on is below.

While I sometimes make bruschetta off-season with store-bought tomatoes to serve as part of a small plates menu, it is in August when we have tomatoes picked fresh from the vine and still warm from the sun that I am reminded of that evening in Italy. Often on a hot summer day, when tomatoes are abundant, it is grilled bruschetta that becomes the focus of our dinner.

Grilled Bruschetta

As with most of my recipes, I am flexible with the quantities of each ingredient. I don’t really measure, and with a recipe like this, approximation is the way to go. If you don’t have a rustic bread, use store-bought Italian or a French baguette. If you don’t have a grill, use the broiler in your oven. If you don’t like pesto or someone has a nut allergy, leave it out. If you don’t want fresh mozzarella, skip it entirely or replace it with some Parmigiano-Reggiano. It will still be delicious.

15 minutes, 4 servings

½ lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled

6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 – 2 fresh tomatoes

1 – 2 Tbsp. pesto

4 pieces rustic Italian bread cut in ½ inch thick slices

5 fresh basil leaves cut in chiffonade for garnish

1. Slice the fresh mozzarella and set aside; it is best at room temperature.
2. Prepare the grill for high heat, whether using a gas or charcoal grill.
3. Press the garlic into a small bowl using a garlic press. Add 4 Tbsp. of the olive oil and ½ tsp. of the salt. Stir to combine.
4. Chop the tomatoes, place them in a bowl, and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, and the pesto. Stir to combine and set aside.
5. Place the bread on the hot grill and immediately spoon or brush the olive oil-garlic mixture on the exposed surface, about a tablespoon on each slice. This will allow the garlic to cook on indirect heat.
6. Checking frequently, allow the bread to grill until it is slightly charred in spots. If the grill is really hot, this may only take a minute or two. Move the bread around on the grill as needed so it does not burn. When slightly charred, flip the bread.
7. Again, checking frequently, grill the bread until it is lightly charred in spots, the garlic is starting to cook, and the olive oil is bubbly. The garlic should be slightly cooked to remove its bite, but don’t brown it too much, as browned garlic can taste bitter.
8. Remove the bread from the grill and place it on a plate, garlic side up. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on the bread, and cover it with the chopped tomato mixture. Top it with basil as a garnish.

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