Mozzarella, Ham and Tomato Bruschetta (or, Posh Cheese on Toast)

Do you ever have a craving for a food that just won’t go away until it’s satisfied? Sometimes I have food cravings so strong I can smell the food I want. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember, there’s no need for any raised eyebrows or suggestions of pregnancy, thank you very much. On the other hand, I am fascinated by pregnancy cravings, so leave me a comment and let me know what yours were or are! 

I recently had a notion for really fancy cheese on toast, which involved granary bread, mozzarella, thinly sliced ham, fresh tomatoes and some of my own complicated pesto, which I was finding many uses for at that time, to justify having made a whole bowl of it when really I only needed a few spoonfuls. I couldn’t resist the urge and bought all the rest of the ingredients on my way home, and had cheese on toast for dinner.

It’s not really a recipe, this, but in case you’ve never made cheese on toast before (or toasted cheese, or grilled cheese, depending where you’re from) then here is my method. I started by putting two slices of granary bread under the grill (or broiler, which I think is a really strange word) until they were golden brown on one side and just soft and warm on the other. Then I took them out and turned them over, so that the toasted side was on the bottom, and put on my ingredients; in this case, a few slices of wafer thin ham then alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella. I’ve become one of those people who smells tomatoes before she buys them, now, and I must say that since I buy them in the supermarket I am more often than not left wanting when it comes to tomatoes that actually smell (and taste) like tomatoes. As of next month I resolve to shop at the farmers’ market twice a month, even if it’s just to get a little fruit and veg. I remember when I was small I had a tomato plant in my bedroom, and the minty smell from the plant was really intense, it hit you as soon as you walked into the room. I tried growing another one more recently but I don’t have green thumbs at all, it didn’t end well. Farmers’ market it is.

To the tomato and mozzarella I added a thin layer of pesto, then put the whole lot back under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese and pesto had melted together and the tomatoes were starting to shrug off their skins and get comfortable. I seasoned the bruschetta with black pepper and a pinch of salt, to bring out the flavours of the tomatoes. There you have it; posh cheese on toast. It doesn’t really look like much but it definitely hit the spot.