Checca is basically classic tomato bruschetta’s cousin… no balsamic, no toasty bread; just a healthy heaping of fresh tomatoes, garlic, evoo, salt, and basil.

Super easy to make, and will last for a while (but the garlic flavor gets stronger the longer it sits— so be forewarned), checca is typically mixed in with pasta, or served on top of breaded chicken, or as we often do it around here, over a bed of arugula, next to crispy pork panko breaded chicken. Thereby ensuring that what’s crispy, stays crispy.

It’s seriously an easy way to fancify (is that even a word?) your food, impress your guests, and pack an extra punch of flavor to any dish. (Or, if you’re like me, you can just eat it straight out of the container).

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp evoo

10 large basil leaves, sliced a la chiffonade

Directions:

Couldn’t be simpler, simply toss all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl (glass or plastic), gently with a fork at least 30 minutes before serving, to allow flavors to meld together and deepen.