Bruschetta

You will need 4 six-inch wide slices of Tuscan bread. Toast them, over the coals if possible (though a toaster will work fine if need be) gently rub them with a cut clove of garlic (you don’t want to overwhelm the oil), then drizzle them with good olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cut the slices in half, and serve. Serves 4.

There are lots of variations to bruschetta.

• One of the tastiest:
  After rubbing the slices with the garlic, rub them with a very ripe cut tomato as well (or spread a thin layer of chopped tomatoes seasoned with basil, salt & pepper over the slices). Then sprinkle with olive oil and season. In addition to being a fine appetizer, this is a traditional merenda, or afternoon snack.
• And another:
  Boil cannellini (white) beans, use a slotted spoon to spoon them over the toasted bread, season the bruschetta with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and serve. In my experience, people ask for seconds and thirds of this variation.

Finally, don't forget, if you are having a barbacue, that bruschetta is an excellent way to begin.