diy Bruschetta – Ciabatta

Recipe taken from http://paulhollywood.com/recipes/ciabatta/

Ingredients:• 500g Strong white bread flour, plus

extra for dusting• 10g Salt• 10g Instant yeast• 40ml Olive oil• 400ml Tepid water

IdeaThis is such an effective recipe – to add more of a crust, when shaping the dough spread semolina on your work surface and onto the ciabatta dough itself

Makes 4 220⁰C/425⁰F/Gas Mark 7

Method:1) Oil the container in which your dough will prove, preferably a 2-3 litre square container, but this isn’t essential2) If using a mixer, place the flour, salt and yeast in the mixing bowl with the dough attached. Add the olive oil and 300ml

of the water, mix on a low speed and as the dough comes together, incorporate the remaining 100ml of water. Crank it up to medium and mix the dough for 5-8 minutes. If working by hand (as I did and always do), place the flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and into it pour the olive oil and 300 ml of the water. Bring the dough together, and then add a little of the remaining water, bring the dough together and then add more water, bring together – continue until you’ve added all of the water. The dough will be wet so don’t be worried – just persevere. Once you’ve added all the water, tip the dough onto a well floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

3) Place the dough into the oiled contained, cover, and leave to prove for 1-2 hours. The longer the prove, the more the air bubbles and the bigger the ciabatta.

4) Preheat the oven to 220⁰C and grease two baking trays. 5) Flour your work surface and tip the dough out gently. Flour the top of the dough.6) Handling gently, cut the dough into four long strips and place onto the prepared baking trays. Leave to prove for another

10 minutes. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes – you should be able to hear a hollow-sound when the ciabattas are tapped on the base.

diy Bruschetta – Greek-Style Salad

Recipe adapted from ‘Plenty More’ Yotam Otoolenghi

Ingredients:• 3 Large ripe tomatoes• ¼ Red onion• ¾ tbsp Red wine vinegar• 1.5 tbsp Olive oil• 35g Feta• 20g Olives, black or green• 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley• Pinch of salt and pepper each

IdeaUsing a range of tomatoes here is great! Anything from beef tomatoes, to yellow or to vine. Using more colour makes it even more appealing , besides the smell.

Serves 2Method:1) Prep your ingredients: dice the tomatoes into 1cm cubes, thinly dice the onion, crumble your feta and thinly slice your

olives.2) Mix all the ingredients together gently and preferably serve immediately. If not, keep refrigerated until needed, this’ll

keep in the fridge for up to 2 days but the sooner it’s eaten the yummier! (also check the Use By dates of your ingredients to make sure they don’t go out of date before the end of the two days if you’re saving it for two days.

diy Bruschetta – Salad-Style Tomatoes & Garlic

Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com/recipe/tomato-crostini#recipe-ingredients

Ingredients:• 450g Variety of ripe tomatoes• 1 large or 3 small Garlic cloves• 1.5 tbsp Olive oil• 1.2 tbsp Red wine vinegar

IdeaAgain, using a range of tomatoes here is great! Anything from beef tomatoes, to yellow or to vine. Using more colour makes it even more appealing , besides the smell.

Serves 2-3Method:1) Dice the tomatoes into 1cm cubes and crush or thinly dice the garlic.2) In a bowl, mix together the olive oil and red wine vinegar and then stir in the tomatoes and garlic.3) Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

diy Bruschetta – Zingy Cranberry Salsa

Recipe adapted from simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cranberry_salsa/

Ingredients:• 340g Fresh or frozen cranberries• ½ an Apple, cored and roughly

chopped• 2 spring onions, chopped including

part of the greens• 4 tbsp Sugar• 2 tbsp Chopped fresh crorriander• 1 tbsp Peeled chopped ginger• 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice• Pinch of salt

IdeaI love using frozen cranberries for this to make an original and fresh topping. If you want an extra kick with this then you can add in some chopped jalapenos.

Serves 2Method:1) Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until everything is well combined.2) Leave to sit for about 15 minutes before serving.