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The River Cafe's bruschetta with mozzarella and spinach

10

  • Makes2 servings
The River Cafe's bruschetta with mozzarella and spinach

In our private dining room at The River Cafe, we put antipasti on large plates to pass around the table. Put the bruschetta on one plate, with others for spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella, or other seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces (200g) washed spinach

  • 1 large ball mozzarella, about 9 ounces (250g)

  • 2 slices sourdough bread

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

  • 2 ripe tomatoes, cut in half

  • 7 fluid ounces (200ml) extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 ounce (28g) picked mixed fresh summer herb leaves, to include marjoram and basil

  • 1 - 2 olives, optional

Instructions

  • Blanch the spinach in a pot of boiling water for about 1 minute or until wilted. Drain well, pressing out excess water.

  • Tear the mozzarella onto two plates.

  • Grill the bread over charcoal or on a char-grill/griddle pan until nicely browned on both sides. Remove from the grill and rub generously with the garlic clove.

  • Squash the tomatoes onto the bruschetta (discard the tomato skin), then season well with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Put the bruschetta on the plates.

  • In a bowl, season the drained spinach. Toss with ¼–½ cup (50–100ml) extra virgin olive oil.

  • Arrange the spinach on the plates alongside the mozzarella and bruschetta. Drizzle with any remaining olive oil and add the herbs—plus an olive or two if you have them.

Excerpted from River Café London: Thirty Years of Recipes and the Story of a Much-Loved Restaurant by Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray, Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli. Copyright © The River Café London Ltd 2017. Published in the United States by Borzoi Books an imprint of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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