I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes, but if I were, this would definitely be one of the things I'd be munching on all day. Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer or "antipasto" as it called in Italian. It's incredibly easy to make and requires very few ingredients. Typically it consists of bread, tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. It's also topped with cheese sometimes and traditionally topped with balsamic vinegar. I believe the bread and tomatoes are supposed to be a vehicle for the balsamic. As much as I've tried to like it, I absolutely detest balsamic vinegar. It's just too strong for my palate. If you enjoy it, feel free to replace the vinegar I have in the recipe or you can even use both as an option. I personally use red wine vinegar because I don't find it as harsh as balsamic. It provides great flavor but doesn't take away from the stars which are the bread, tomatoes, and basil.
Typically for the bread, Italian or French bread is used. I don't see an issue with either, but I used a French baguette in my case. Begin by cutting the baguette in half down the middle. Take one half of the baguette and cut the end off. Begin to cut ¼" thick slices on a bias. Do this until you have 8-10 slices.
Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. Place your bread slices or challah buns on top of the foil and drizzle a bit more oil over the bread pieces.
Cook at 450°F for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. I personally just used my toaster oven, but you can use a normal oven if you'd like.
Take your bread out of your oven and set aside so they can cool slightly. In the meantime, smash one large garlic clove and begin to chop until finely minced. Add the garlic into a medium-sized bowl. For the tomatoes, make sure to use the best quality you can get. I ended up using tomatoes from my garden. That's ideal. If you don't garden, attempt to get farmer's market tomatoes or organic tomatoes at the supermarket.
Wash your tomatoes and the begin to chop into a small dice, about ¼" size dices. Continue to do this until all three are chopped. Be sure to be gentle and not allow the tomato juices to be squeezed out. Place the tomatoes into the same bowl with the garlic.
To the bowl, add in the red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Mix gently to combine.
Begin to pile some of the tomato mixture onto the bread slices, making sure to avoid getting much of the tomato liquid on the bread. Garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh basil (again, ideally from the garden) tore into pieces. Enjoy immediately!
Non-Balsamic Bruschetta
Yield:
10
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
10 minutes
Another way to make bruschetta sans the balsamic vinegar. An easy, delicious summer appetizer.
Ingredients
- 8-10 slices French or Italian bread, ¼" thick
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 large clove garlic
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Typically for the bread, Italian or French bread is used. I don't see an issue with either, but I used a French baguette in my case. Begin by cutting the baguette in half down the middle. Take one half of the baguette and cut the end off. Begin to cut ¼" thick slices on a bias. Do this until you have 8-10 slices.
- Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. Place your bread slices on top of the foil and drizzle a bit more oil over the bread pieces.
- Cook at 450°F for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. I personally just used my toaster oven, but you can use a normal oven if you'd like.
- Take your bread out of your oven and set aside so they can cool slightly. In the meantime, smash one large garlic clove and begin to chop until finely minced. Add the garlic into a medium-sized bowl. For the tomatoes, make sure to use the best quality you can get. I ended up using tomatoes from my garden. That's ideal. If you don't garden, attempt to get farmer's market tomatoes or organic tomatoes at the supermarket.
- Wash your tomatoes and the begin to chop into a small dice, about ¼" size dices. Continue to do this until all three are chopped. Be sure to be gentle and not allow the tomato juices to be squeezed out. Place the tomatoes into the same bowl with the garlic.
- To the bowl, add in the red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Mix gently to combine.
- Begin to pile some of the tomato mixture onto the bread slices, making sure to avoid getting much of the tomato liquid on the bread. Garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh basil (again, ideally from the garden) tore into pieces. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
Enjoy immediately as it will get soggy as it sits.
This recipe doesn't include balsamic vinegar due to my strong dislike for it, but feel free to use it in conjunction with the red wine vinegar or in its place.
