Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking:5-10 minutes
Total:15 minutes
Ingredients
1 Ciabatta or French stick
2 tablespoons pesto sauce
85g shaved ham or prosciutto, sliced thinly
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 85 g each, sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
rocket leaves to garnish
Method
With hood closed, preheat a hotplate or grill to high heat. Slice ciabatta into 12 equal slices. Place slices on the hotplate or grill rack over direct heat and cook until lightly brown.
Remove the toasted Ciabatta from the barbecue, turn over and spread on pesto sauce. Top each with ham, cut and folded to fit on the bread. Divide the tomato slices among the toasts, then drizzle with the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return the bruschettas to the hotplate or grill rack over indirect heat. Cover with hood, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until the tomato slices begin to soften and char at the edges. Garnish each bruschetta with a few rocket leaves and serve hot or at room temperature.
Cooking tips
To make feta and tomato bruschettas. Replace the ham with ½ cup (100 g) crumbled feta cheese. Grill the slices of bread on one side, turn them over and brush with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil instead of the pesto sauce. Divide the feta cheese among the toasts and season with freshly ground black pepper (feta is salty, so you don't need to add salt). Grill over indirect heat, covered, until the cheese melts and bubbles. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs instead of rocket.
Replace the pesto sauce with tapenade, a full-flavoured black olive spread popular in the Mediterranean. You only need ½ teaspoon for each bruschetta.