Bruschetta Diva on brown bread

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 tomatoes, ripe but firm, preferably strong tasting
• 1 small onion(s), preferably shallot
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 1 dashes lemon juice (stronger dashes)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch of basil
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices of brown bread

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Own creation, quickly finished

Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and cut into the smallest possible pieces, then place them in a bowl. Finely chop the garlic clove, possibly pressing it through a garlic press. Also finely chop the onion and add both to the tomatoes. Pick and tear or chop the basil leaves. I prefer to tear them; the flavor seems more intense that way. Slice half of the spring onions into small rings and add them to the tomatoes along with the basil. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil, some pepper, and salt to the tomatoes, and mix everything together. You can now taste the ingredients a little to see if you want more of anything. However, I don’t do the final seasoning until after the waiting time, as some of the ingredients take a while to work. The mixture should sit for at least 30 minutes, but it will easily last until the next day in the refrigerator. Before serving, lightly toast the slices of brown bread in a dry pan or toaster, rubbing them with a little garlic clove if desired. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the slices of bread, scooping it out of the bowl with a spoon so that not too much of the broth that has formed gets onto the bread. Garnish everything with a little basil. The bread can be quartered or served whole, whichever you prefer. It’s difficult to estimate how long it will take; it depends on the tools you have at your disposal for chopping. I have a device that lets me press the tomatoes and onions through a chopping rack, which makes it go very quickly. Doing it by hand takes considerably longer, but it’s very important to chop thoroughly and very finely.