Tomato Toasts

Ciabatta is a flavourful variation on ordinary bread and the tomato topping is not only tasty but very nutritious. There’s also great fun to be had cutting the bread creatively into long and nicely shaped slices.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small ciabatta loaf
120ml (4fl oz) olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper
A handful of fresh parsley leaves

Method 

- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Cut the bread diagonally into thin slices, put them on to two baking trays and drizzle them with a little olive oil. Bake in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until crisp and golden.

- While you are waiting for the bread to bake, slice the tomatoes in half and remove the core at the top. Chop the tomatoes roughly and put them into the bowl.

- Peel the garlic cloves. Crush them with a garlic crusher, then put them into a bowl with the tomatoes. Season with salt and black pepper and add the remaining olive oil.

- Chop up the parsley leaves and stir them into the bowl of tomatoes. Remove the hot baking trays from the oven, then pile the whole tasty mixture onto the toasts and serve immediately. 

Adapted from Cooking Italian With Kids by Liz Franklin (Ryland Peters & Small, £14.99).