Raw Bruschetta: An Easy Recipe For Summer

When it's hot or even very hot, it's not conceivable to turn on the oven to prepare authentic Italian bruschettas with cured ham and melted mozzarella. However, nothing prevents you from declining this famous transalpine specialty in a no-cook version. We propose you to discover the recipe of the raw bruschetta made with fresh cheese, tomatoes, and basil.

Ingredients

Here are the necessary ingredients to prepare raw bruschetta for 4 people:

8 slices of bread (preferably sourdough bread)
2 red tomatoes
2 yellow tomatoes
fresh cheese
a bunch of basil
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 level teaspoon of garlic powder

Note: for this no-cook recipe, you can use all kinds of fresh cheese. Depending on your preferences or the ingredients you have, you can garnish these bruschettas with Italian ricotta, cream cheese, Saint-Morêt or even fresh goat cheese.

Preparation of basil pesto

Whatever cheese you have planned to use, I recommend adding this raw bruschetta recipe with Genovese basil pesto.

1- Wash and dry the basil leaves.

2- Set aside a few small leaves for garnishing your toast.

3- Chop the remaining basil with garlic powder.

4- Pour the resulting mixture into a small bowl and mix in olive oil until you achieve a creamy texture, as shown in the photo below.

Cutting tomatoes

For this raw bruschetta recipe, I recommend cutting the tomatoes into brunoise, which means small dice.

This cut will allow you to spread the tomato-based preparation more easily on the bread slices.

Moreover, if your tomatoes have tough skin, feel free to peel them before cutting them into small dice, as shown in the photo below.

Preparation of basil tomatoes

The big advantage of this raw bruschetta recipe is that it doesn't require any cooking. It allows you to prepare a delicious cold appetizer without heating up the house with the oven or stovetop.

Once you have diced your red and yellow tomatoes, pour them into a bowl and season with one to two tablespoons of homemade Genovese pesto.

Note: Since the fresh cheese is already salty, I didn't add any salt to my tomato preparation. If you wish, you can add pepper or a spice of your choice.

You should obtain a sort of tomato and basil salad as shown in the photo below.

Toasting bread preparation

If you have a toaster, you can toast the bread slices before topping them.

This step is optional (especially in hot weather!). But it helps improve the texture of your bruschettas, especially if you're using day-old bread.

This tartine recipe is a great anti-waste tip to avoid throwing away slightly dried out bread. After being toasted, the bread will become crispier and perfectly suitable for this raw bruschetta recipe.

Assembly of raw bruschettas

Once you have toasted the bread, you can move on to assembling your no-cook bruschettas.

Depending on the size of your bread, you will need to plan for one to two slices per person. Since I used a small-sized sourdough bread, I counted two slices per person even though it is an appetizer.

1- Spread fresh cheese on each toasted slice of bread.

2- Spread the tomato and pesto mixture on top.

3- Garnish each raw bruschetta with a few fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Note: This raw tartine is suitable for vegetarians who consume dairy products. However, if you want a more complete tartine resembling an authentic bruschetta, you can add a piece of Italian cured ham on each slice.