Bruschetta

 

I almost didn’t post this recipe because it seems ridiculously simple, but I have experimented with this a lot and think that it’s worth sharing.  Bruschetta (pronounced BRU-SKETTA) is its very best in the summer when you have fresh tomatoes and basil, but sometimes you just need to make it in the winter.

Bruschetta has the basis of all things Italian – good bread, olive oil, tomatoes, basil and garlic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll need:  a loaf of French or Italian bread, about 6 ripe tomatoes (I used Roma for this), 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 T extra virgin olive oil, 1 t balsamic vinegar, 6 to 8 basil leaves (torn), salt and pepper to taste, and more olive oil for the bread.

This is how I prepare the tomatoes.  You don’t have to do it this way, you can just chop the tomatoes up as they are, but I just like to get the skins off.  To do that, I boil some water, then as soon as it starts to boil, I take it off the heat and put the tomatoes in the water for one minute.  Just one minute.

This allows you to easily pull the skins right off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces.  Add olive oil, vinegar, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Mix it all up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 450. Slice the bread diagonally.  You want the slices to be a little thick to hold all the goodness you are going to put on it.  Coat one side with olive oil and place it olive oil side down on a baking sheet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 5-6 minutes or until the bread is starting be slightly brown and crispy.  Put as much topping on each slice as you want.

 

This is a GREAT appetizer, but it can also be a meal if you want.  Simple and delicious!