Christmas crostini

Ingredients

½ long baguette, cut into 6mm/¼ slices
60ml/4 tbsp olive oil
2-3 ripe tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and drained
6 black olives, stoned and chopped
5ml/1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
15ml/1 tbsp orange-flavoured oil*
15ml/1 tbsp white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled but left whole
1 red pepper, roasted, de-seeded and cut into strips
a few fresh chives

*If you can't find orange-flavoured oil, substitute a teaspoon of very finely chopped orange zest

Method

1. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and grill lightly on both sides until golden brown. (Alternatively, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for about 10-15 minutes.)
2. Finely chop the tomatoes and mix together with the olives, thyme orange-flavoured oil and vinegar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Rub the peeled garlic onto the top side of each slice of toasted bread.
4. Arrange the tomato mixture on the top and decorate with criss-crossed strips of roasted red pepper and chives to serve.