Greek Bruschetta

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated February 3, 2016

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(285)
Comments
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In Greece they make this dish with rusks — twice-baked breads made of different types of flour, including barley, wheat, chickpea flour and rye. You can make your own rusks by drying out thick slices of whole grain bread in the oven. It’s a good way of preserving bread before it goes stale or moldy, but it does take about eight hours. For a quicker version, toast thick pieces of bread — or just look for rusks in a local Greek market.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 thick slices whole-grain country bread

  • ¼ cup finely chopped red onion

  • 1 pound ripe, locally grown tomatoes

  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

  • 1 garlic clove, minced or puréed

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or parsley

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 to 2 ounces feta, crumbled (optional)

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

20 grams carbs; 9 milligrams cholesterol; 205 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 316 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toast the bread and set aside, or dry it in a very low oven (a pilot light provides sufficient heat, if you have one) for 8 to 10 hours. Sprinkle rusks with a little water to reconstitute.

  2. Step 2

    Place the onion in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Allow to sit for five minutes, drain, rinse and dry on paper towels. Cut the tomatoes in half at the equator, and grate on the large holes of a box grater set in a wide bowl. Combine the grated tomatoes with the vinegar, capers, garlic, onion and dill or parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over each of the toasted bread slices or rusks. Top with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle on the cheese and oregano, drizzle on the remaining olive oil and serve.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: The tomato topping can be made several hours ahead.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
285 user ratings
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Comments

Nick

Might add some chopped Kalamata olives. Alternative to soaking the red onion in water is some vinegar which can then be used in the mixture.

Ioanna

The best (Cretan) rusks are made of barley. Put them under the tap for a second, then add the topping. I typically make them with katiki or nivato cheese and sundried tomatoes.
It's called Dakos by the way (DAHkoss)

nico

This would be better with more vinegar. Grating the tomatoes didn't quite work, so I opted to dice them instead.

Katrin

The grated tomatos were mushy, which was fine, but they drew a lot of water, which I drained, saved and then used the next day as part of a pasta liquid sauce. Yes, more vinegar is needed or a dash of lemon juice to really give it some tang. I mixed the feta and the oregano into the mushy mix, that gave it all texture. I agree adding olives would also work, may try it next time.

dlDL

Very good! I liked the addition of vinegar and other mixins, this is a perfect recipe for when tomatoes are out of season but you're still craving tomato flavors

Flower

Made them with shallots and without adding Feta, delicious and milder, on artisan sourdough baguette.

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