The Bruschetta..with a Mauritius twist!

Imagine a crunchy slice of baguette, toasted with extra virgin olive oil and garlic on which rests a fresh melange of tomatoes, onions, cilantro (coriander leaves), mint, and bits of, YES! the famous ‘Gato Pima’! Sounds good, doesn’t it?

It has been a while since I have written on Musings of A Veg Foodie, and i thought why not reconnect with you all through the recipe of a simple yet very delicious snack. While thinking about ‘Gato Pima’ for my earlier article, A ‘Gato Pima’ story…Part 1, different possibilities of re-inventing the usage of Gato Pima came to my mind. What I propose here is basically the popular Italian Bruschetta with some Mauritian pep. 🙂 If you are familiar with the ‘Salad Gato Pima’ or ‘Satini Gato Pima’,  you will be happy to known that this recipe is all about using that same salad but served on a toasted piece of baguette. I find it a wonderful way of chasing monotony from the dinner table or simply rendering a small party with friends or breakfast more exotic and interesting.

All ingredients used are easily available and, I guess, present permanently is most Mauritian kitchens. However, you would need cooked Gato Pima; the recipe of which will come in another post (for those who do not know how to prepare).

This recipe serves three to four persons. The quantities can be readjusted accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sized Gato Pima
• 6 sliced baguette pieces
• 4 Fresh medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 2 small onions (thinly sliced)
• Two medium green chillies finely chopped
• Some Cilantro (to taste)
• Some mint leaves (to taste)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• A pinch of salt or to taste
• A pinch of sugar
• A garlic pod, coarsely chopped

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix some olive with the chopped tomatoes along with a pinch of sugar. (the sugar helps to balance the acidity)
2. Break the Gato Pima into small pieces.
3. Chop cilantro and mint leaves and keep ready all other ingredients.
4. Heat a pan and pour in a filet of extra virgin olive oil.
5. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped garlic
6. Put the sliced bread in the pan and let it toast while absorbing the flavoured of the oil and garlic.
7. In the meantime, mix all other ingredients(tomatoes, onions, herbs, gato pima, chilli). Pour in a little olive oil, a pinch of salt and toss into a salad.
8. When the bread is well toasted and crisp, take out of the pan and arrange some of the salad on top.
9. Garnish with a piece of cilantro and serve immediately.

Your extremely simple, but addictively tasty snack is ready. 🙂 Serve as an Entree for lunch/ dinner or at breakfast/ brunch…or those football match viewing sessions. Try it out and come up with your own versions and do share! Cheers!

Devaraj.

PS: Kindly share this article with respect and directly from the source. Thank you.