A handful of my Roma tomatoes had ripened by this evening, so I decided to grab a few tomatoes and some of my own basil and make some real homemade bruschetta.
It's so satisfying to make a complete dish using items you produced yourself. Here is the recipe I go by.
Bruschetta
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
- 6-7 ripe Roma tomatoes
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Salt and course-ground black pepper to taste
- 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian loaf
- extra olive oil
METHOD
- Parboil the tomatoes in boiling water removed from the eye for one minute. Retrieve the tomatoes from the water and, using a sharp knife, remove the skins. Once peeled, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds, juice, and stem section.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place rack at top position.
- While the oven is heating, chop the tomatoes finely. Combine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice the bread diagonally in 1" slices. Place them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven to toast for 1-2 minutes per side to harden the exposed sides.
- Remove toasted bread from oven. Using a sharp knife, make three cuts into the bread. Rub the remaining garlic into the slices and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each piece.
- Return bread to oven. Toast 5-6 minutes, or until the bread just begins to turn brown.
- Place toasted pieces on serving tray. Serve with the tomato mixture.
- Scoop a small amount of the tomato mixture onto a slide of toast and enjoy!