Summer Bruschetta

Since coming back from Italy last week, I cannot believe how lucky we've been with the weather here in the UK! How wonderful is it to wake up every single morning and see the sun shining outside? 

It makes me jump out of bed full of energy and with a big smile on my face, it really makes all the difference.

This also means that me and Patch have finally had the chance to make the most of our garden again (which I'll admit after a very wet summer last year and an incredibly long winter this year does look a bit like a jungle) eating and chatting with friends under this blue blue sky.

The first lunch we had was a quick but super tasty one. 

We had walked all morning under the sun and were feeling a bit lazy by lunchtime so I had to make sure we could enjoy something easy to prepare but colourful and delicious. 

Enter the Summer Bruschetta.

This is a variation on an "almost classic" bruschetta I prepared on a shoot we did in Tuscany in June (recipes from that wonderful experience will come out soon)..

The result was absolutely fantastic so here's the simple recipe for all of you to enjoy!

SUMMER BRUSCHETTA (serves 2)

1 Loaf of Bread (you can choose your favourite but we got a round stonebaked Sourdough and used half of it to make 4 perfectly sized bruschettas)

3 Big juicy tomatoes chopped 

Half a red onion chopped really small

2-3 tbsp extravirgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to season

A few pimiento olives cut in half (but you can also use plain green or black, it'll work equally well)

Half a block of Halloumi, cut in 4 slices (grilled)

Very Simply start with a medium sized bowl and add the tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Mix everything together then cover with a lid or some foil and pop into the refrigerator to marinate (NB: ideally you'd want to leave it for at least 30 min to 1hour to let the favours mix really well and become deliciously intense but we were starving and 15 min worked just fine).

Cut your loaf into 4 thick slices and grill them, quickly grill the halloumi but keep an eye on it (you don't want it to melt..). All you need to do now is assemble!

Get your favourite plates out, pop the bread on, followed by the marinated tomatoes and halloumi (I broke it into pieces and sprinkled it a bit here and there) and add the little olives last.

Then, take a spoonful of the juice from the bowl that had the tomatoes mix and pour it on top as a final touch.

Time to eat!x

PS: This recipe can also be done on a grilled gluten free bread for any specific diet needs ;)