Bruschetta

So bruschetta is an Italian hors d'oeuvre of sorts--slices of bread with tomatoes, basil, and sometimes balsamic vinegar. A few folks add salt and pepper to their bruschetta; to me, if the produce is good, it's not necessary, but hey, what do I know? As I was roaming around forums, looking for questions to answer, I stumbled across a woman who was looking for a bruschetta recipe similar to the one Amy Adams (Julie) serves her husband in "Julie and Julia". I Googled up a recipe, and then found myself thinking about it for the rest of the day. On my way home, I made a quick detour to the store, made a slight alteration to the recipe, and here it is. My fiance and I ate the entire baguette, by the way, so be forewarned. This is some good stuff.


What was the last food that you craved?


Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

3 ripe tomatoes on the vine

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil1

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 smallish baguette French bread or similar Italian bread (get the Safeway homemade baguette with sea salt--you won't have to add anything to your topping)

1/4 cup olive oil


Cut the tomatoes in half and get rid of the seeds and pulp. Dice them. Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat and move the rack to the highest position.

3 While the oven is heating, Put the tomatoes, garlic, and 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat both sides of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet. Do these in batches if you need to. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can do the traditional method. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice.


5 Put the bread on a plate. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping oneach slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes,do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy--but it may not last long enough to get to the soggy stage ;) .