the bread.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, then spoon them directly on top of the toast (no need to butter it), together with all their lovely juices. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and serve at once.
VARIATION
Garlic mushrooms on toast
Make as described, cooking 1–2 crushed large garlic cloves with the mushrooms.
Hummus on toast with vine tomatoes v
Quick, easy and so good!
SERVES 2
125g (4oz) hummus, bought or homemade or
2–4 large slices of wholemeal toast
2–4 tresses of cherry tomatoes on the vine
Spread the hummus on the toast – no need to butter it first – and heat through under the grill.
Put the tresses of cherry tomatoes under the grill too for a few minutes until lightly roasted, then place one tress on each piece of toast and serve.
VARIATION
Swiss vegetable pâté and tomato toast v
Swiss vegetable pâté is a smooth, savoury spead that you can buy in a tube at health-food shops. My family have always liked it in sandwiches and on toast. Just squeeze it straight onto the toast, instead of the hummus, heat through under the grill and top with the tomatoes, as described.
Tomato and cheese on toast
This couldn’t be simpler, yet makes a lovely hot snack, rather like a very simple pizza.
SERVES 2
4 slices wholemeal bread
1–2 tbsp olive oil
4 tomatoes, skinned or not, as you wish
125g (4oz) grated cheese
Toast the bread and brush one side (or both sides, if you like) with olive oil.
Slice the tomatoes thinly and arrange on top of the toast, then scatter the cheese evenly on top of that.
Put the toast under a hot grill for 4–5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling and the tomatoes are heated through and slightly softened. Serve at once.
Garlic bread
Hot garlic bread is unfailingly popular and really easy to make. You can also prepare it, ready for popping in the oven, ahead of time, and even freeze it (before baking).
SERVES 4–6
1 baguette or 1 small wholemeal loaf
3–4 garlic cloves
salt
125g (4oz) butter, softened
Set the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6. Slice the baguette or wholemeal loaf three-quarters of the way through into chunky slices – they should just hold together at the base. Cut the wholemeal loaf right through into thin slices.
Make the garlic butter by crushing the peeled cloves in a little salt, then mixing into the butter. Spread this butter on both sides of each slice of bread. Push the bread back into the original shape, then wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s heated right through and crisp on the outside. Serve at once.
VARIATION
Quick garlic bread for one or two
Spread some slices of bread with garlic butter made using a small clove of garlic (as described). Grill them, without any foil covering them, until the butter has melted and the bread is crisp round the edges.
Hot garlic chickpeas in pitta bread v
These sizzling hot, garlicky chickpeas make a wonderful snack; it’s hard to stop eating them straight out of the pan! They’re great packed into a pitta pocket, along with anything else you fancy – such as sliced tomato, onion, chopped mint, a spoonful of mayonnaise or yoghurt, or some sweet chutney.
SERVES 4
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
a little self-raising wholemeal flour, to coat
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
2–4 garlic cloves, crushed
TO SERVE
4 warm wholemeal pitta breads
any of the optional extras mentioned above
Spread the chickpeas out on a large plate and sprinkle with the flour and a little salt and pepper. Turn them gently so that each one is coated with flour.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the chickpeas and garlic. Fry the chickpeas gently until they are crisp and golden, turning often. You may need to do them in more than one batch.
Slit open the top of each pitta bread, fill with the hot chickpeas and any extras you are adding, and serve.
Quick pitta bread pizza
These quick pizzas taste surprisingly like the ‘real thing’, yet can be whizzed up in moments.
SERVES 2
2 wholemeal pitta breads
6 tbsp tomato purée
1–2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
½–1 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
a few button mushrooms (optional), thinly sliced
125g (4oz) torn mozzarella or grated Cheddar cheese
a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of dried oregano and a few olives (optional), to garnish
