Tomato Bruschetta are a wonderfully easy way to enjoy fresh, ripe, seasonal tomatoes. Play around with these as much as you like - add other chopped vegetables, try basil oil, use different herbs, add a bit of cheese - bruschetta are endlessly flexible.
Bruschetta are traditionally made with stale bread, and for good reason. When you toast up stale bread it's a bit harder, a bit more able to stand up to tomato juices and olive oil than is fresh bread.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 thick slices good-quality French- or Italian-style bread
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 medium very ripe tomatoes
- About 2 Tbsp. good quality, extra virgin olive oil
- Course salt
- Fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Preparation:
- Toast bread. While bread is toasting, peel garlic cloves and cut them in half.
- Rub one side of each slice of toasted bread with the cut side of a garlic clove. The garlic will disintegrate into the bread, leaving just a bit of garlic left.
- Core tomatoes. Cut them in half along the "equator," exposing much of the seeded flesh. Over a bowl or sink, squeeze out the seeds from each half. Coarsely chop tomatoes and put in a medium bowl. Add olive oil and gently toss to combine.
- Gently spoon the tomato mixture evenly onto the toasts. Sprinkle with salt. Sprinkle with basil and/or pepper, if you like. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 Fresh Tomato Bruschetta.
