Sarah & Olive’s Bruschetta Recipe

­Make the most delicious Bruschetta with Nobleza del Sur’s Centenarium from Sarah & Olive

A great olive oil like Nobleza del Sur’s award-winning Centenarium is just perfect for bringing out the best in tomatoes. It is made with Picual olives, a variety that has strong notes of tomato and tomato leaf followed by a fabulous pepper hit which makes it perfect for showcasing any tomato dish. Stir some into your favourite tomato pasta sauce just before you serve to see just how well it works.

Or how about a simple salad? Try this – slice or roughly chop a couple of decent tomatoes then generously drizzle them with Centenarium, a little dash of balsamic or sherry vinegar and a generous pinch of flakey salt. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes and you have one of the tastiest salads around. It’s that classic Mediterranean trick of just 1 simple ingredient made sublime by the right seasoning – olive oil and salt.

A simple tomato salad that can be repurposed as bruschetta (for 2-3)

• 4 decent sized tomatoes
• A punchy, peppery olive like Nobleza del Sur’s Centenarium
• Flakey salt
• A tiny quantity of vinegar – balsamic, sherry or red wine
• A few sprigs of basil (about 15 decent size leaves) if you have it
• Rustic style bread – sourdough or a decent baguette are perfect

Chop the tomatoes and finely shred the basil. Mix together in a bowl and generously drizzle with oil, a dash of vinegar and a generous pinch of flakey salad. Mix well then set aside for at least 20 minutes.

For the Bruschetta:

Toast about 3/4 baguette (or the equivalent). Cut into manageable pieces then heap with the tomato salad.

The next thing you can do with tomatoes and olive oil is the Catalan pan amb tomaquet (bread with tomato). When I lived in Barcelona this was something I ate almost every day. Again, this is a non-recipe recipe but it’s just so good that it’s worth sharing. Also, it really highlights just how little you have to do with simple ingredients when you’ve got a great oil.

 

Pan am tomaquet (for 2 or 3)

• 1 decent quality baguette or similar
• 4 good quality tomatoes
• A punchy, peppery olive like Nobleza del Sur’s Centenarium
• Salt

Toast the bread and slice the tomatoes in half through the middle rather than top to bottom.

Rub the tomato halves on the bread until they literally fall apart and you are only left with the skins. Generously drizzle with oil and a sprinkling of flakey salt.