Hobz biz-zejt is a traditional snack or starter in Malta and is made with a rustic country bread, tomatoes and olive oil, topped off with all kinds of ingredients such as olives, anchovies, tuna, capers or peppers. I found this in my mother's recipe book and on looking it up, I discovered that, in English, Hobz biz-zejt means bread in oil. Hobz is a traditional Maltese bread, but as I couldn't find it here in Ireland, I have used a sour dough loaf as the recipe calls for a crusty bread.
Start with the bread, cutting a thick slice from your loaf. Halve some ripe, juicy tomatoes and rub these over the cut side of the bread so that the juices soak into the bread. Put the tomatoes to one side for now.
Pour some good olive oil into a shallow dish and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Dip the bread into it, cut side down, and remove promptly onto a board or plate.
Chop the reserved tomatoes and put onto the bread along with some black olives and capers. To garnish, top with a few basil leaves or freshly chopped mint.
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