Tuscan Bruschetta

Image by Murrundie Frew for ITP Publishing

Phiras and I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the UFC Silva vs. Sonnen fight. Yes, as I have previously mentioned, I love this gory sport. It's not the most lady like past time, but I got sucked into it and now am scarily up to date with all that's happening in the MMA world :)

As we were jumping on the sofa watching these incredible fighters fight some amazing rounds, I became quite upset with the audience. You have some incredible athletes putting their bodies at high risk of severe injuries to entertain a crowd, but then the audience has the insensitivity of booing most of the time for no coherent reason! People can be so silly sometimes.. Anyways,  that's my two cents on UFC today but now back to foodie stuff!

I had all the ingredients available to make my favourite type of bruschetta. It's so simple but has so much flavor and it's perfect to munch on while your working on the laptop like I am right now, or serving as a starter for a dinner party. Absolutely delicious!

Serves 4-6

Prep & Cook Time: 20 minutes

• 2 red onions, chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 800g cannelini beans
• 3 tbsp crème fraiche
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• olive oil, salt and cracked pepper

In a bowl, mash the drained and rinsed cannelini beans and set aside.

In a pan heat a little olive oil, and sauté the onions for a few minutes before adding the garlic and half the parsley. Cook for a few minutes then add to the mashed cannelini beans.

Add the crème fraiche, remaining parsley and season with salt and pepper. Then drizzle the olive oil on the bread, and grill the slices until they are slightly toasted.

Add a generous amount of the cannelini mixture, a drizzle of oil and crème fraiche. Delicious!

As featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia - March 2012