bruschetta
“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; and garlic makes it good.” ~Alice May Brock
Bruschetta–
8 to 10 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped into bite size chunks (or two pints cherry/grape tomatoes, cut into thirds.)
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled, minced fine
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (I prefer cold-pressed, unfiltered)
a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar or dry red wine (approximately 2 Tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Once garlic is minced, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic, and saute until lighty golden. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add chopped tomatoes to bowl (including all seeds and juice,) along with the basil, a couple glugs of olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup), balsamic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, and set aside while you make your crostini. Don’t refrigerate the tomato mixture. Make it when you’re ready to serve it, not in advance. Tomatoes lose their flavor and pleasant texture when refrigerated.
While the tomato bruschetta is resting, prepare the crostini. Thickly slice a loaf of good quality, Italian bread…the chewy, crusty kind. Generously butter both sides of each slice and toast in a skillet (like you would toast a grilled cheese sandwich-so both sides are golden brown.) Serve the bruschetta, and some of the juice, piled high on the crostini. Salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
~Melissa
Looks good Melissa… I’ve never added the wine with mine…
Hi Jean! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, this is a favorite recipe in our house, and wine really adds a little something extra. Enjoy 🙂
I made Crostini last week for an Italian Dinner’s appetizers. It was very quick to make in the oven, because I could bake several slices at a time. One loaf of bread filled 3 baking sheets. I was serving them with Tapenade, so I cut each slice into 4 pieces, as soon as they came out of the oven. They were so good, I could eat them all by themselves.
1/2 c.. EVOO
1/2 c. butter
2 cloves of minced garlic
salt, pepper, and other seasonings as desired _ paprika or sumac?
Fresh Parmesan Cheese – optional
Slice bread as desired.
Bring olive oil, butter, garlic and other seasonings to a low simmer. After it bubbles for a minute, remove from heat.
Dip both sides of each slice of bread quickly into the hot mixture, and spread on a baking sheet covered with parchment or foil.
Sprinkle with Parmesan – optional.
Bake at 350 for for 5-6 minutes. When the top side is lightly browned, remove baking sheet, and flip bread slices over. Bake for 5-6 more minutes until golden.
If storing, keep in an airtight container. These will keep for weeks if the container remains airtight.
My new favorite snack. I was buying it from a local bistro, but started making my own because it was 8 bucks a shot. My version was simple with tomato, small diced onions, a premade garlic in a tube called Gourmet Garden that is chunky, some Italian herb in the tube, parmesan. However your version sounds so good I will have to try it.
Enjoy, Ruth! 🙂