Lidia Bastianich knows how to short-cut even the simplest of recipes.

When I asked the popular PBS cooking personality for holiday cocktail party tips, she chose a trio of bruschetta from her latest cookbook “Lidia’s Celebrate Like an Italian.”

Bruschetta is a deceptively simple appetizer — one that even non-cooks can prepare.

“It looks like you’ve worked all day, and you can use leftovers,” she says. “Even the bread can be from yesterday. It will revive.”

Bruschetta (pronounced broo-SKEH-tah) is Italian for “to roast over coals.” Simply toast bread, rub each slice with a garlic clove and then brush each slice with olive oil (you don’t want to change the fresh flavor of the olive oil by exposing it to heat) and top.