Breaking down the season's freshest tomatoes and piling them on sourdough toast creates a simple and flavorful first course. Ingredients 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 large garlic cloves thinly sliced lengthwise 2 each Turkish bay leaves or 1 California 2 each whole cloves 1 each celery rib finely chopped 1 medium onion finely chopped (1 cup) 1/2 each Italian frying pepper finely chopped (1/2 cup) 1 teaspoon curry powder (preferably Madras) 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 pounds tomatoes cored and cut into 1-inch-wide wedges 2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar more to taste 3 large slices sourdough bread (cut from center of a 9- to 10-inch round loaf)

Instructions
Special equipment: a well-seasoned ridged grill pan

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, bay leaves, and cloves, stirring, until garlic is golden, 35 to 40 seconds. Remove from heat, then transfer garlic, bay leaves, and cloves with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Reserve all but 2 tablespoons oil in a heatproof bowl, then add celery, onion, frying pepper, curry powder, salt, pepper, and reserved bay leaves and cloves to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are just beginning to break down, about 20 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in half of reserved garlic slices. Add remaining 1 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar, if desired.

Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

Meanwhile, brush both sides of bread slices with reserved olive oil, then grill in hot grill pan, turning over once, until pale golden and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes total.

Spoon tomato mixture onto toast on plates and sprinkle with remaining garlic slices.


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Yields: 6 Servings
     Gourmet magazine, September 2006, page 139

notes:  A real crowd pleaser! The curry makes this tomato bruschetta deliciously different. I recommend chopping up the tomatoes into smaller pieces.

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