Bruschetta scomposta – ricetta della settimana

Recipe from Happy Hour by Franco Luise
Photo by Stefania Sainaghi

 

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes

 

Ingredients for 8

300 g rustic bread

Tomato sauce
400 g ripe tomatoes
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
Crushed coriander seeds
Extra virgin olive oil
Sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Basil scented carrots
200 g fresh carrots
1 shallot
5-6 basil leaves
½ liter vegetable broth
30 g extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Spinach cream with hot pepper
150 g fresh baby spinach leaves
1 shallot
1 hot red pepper
¼ liter vegetable broth
30 g extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tomato sauce:
Coat a sheet pan with the olive oil and sprinkle with a little sugar. Sprinkle with the herbs, some crushed coriander seeds and slices of garlic. Halve the tomatoes and place them in the pan cut sides down. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a little more sugar.  Transfer to a preheated 120 °C/250 °F  oven and cook for 1 hour. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and transfer to a food processor along with any residual bits of herbs and garlic. Roughly chop the tomatoes and reserve.

Basil scented carrots:
Peel the carrots and slice them into thin rounds; chop the shallot and lightly sauté it in a little extra virgin olive oil in heavy-bottomed saucepan along with carrots. Cook for approximately 5 minutes then add the hot broth and continue cooking over low heat until the carrots are tender. Transfer them to a food processor along with the basil, add the remaining olive oil and process to a smooth purée. Salt and pepper to taste and reserve.

Spinach cream with hot pepper:
Wash the spinach; chop and sauté the shallot in a little extra virgin olive oil along with the chopped hot red pepper. Add the drained spinach and cook over a high flame, stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a blender, add the vegetable broth and process adding the extra virgin olive oil. Salt to taste and reserve.

Evenly slice the bread and cut the slices into smaller portions if too large; toast the bread in a hot oven, turning it once. Transfer the bread to a tray and serve with the three prepared spreads and a variety of additional garnishes so that guests may personalize their bruschetta.

Suggested garnishes:
Chopped capers, olive paté, shards of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, anchovy fillets, cubes of mozzarella and garlic infused extra virgin olive oil.