Bruschetta is one of those foods that make me wish I were Italian.
To have so many dishes that are loved by pretty much the entire world would be freaking awesome. (I guess my people do have sushi 🙂 ). One thing I love about bruschetta is that it’s almost like a comfort food, without being incredibly unhealthy like most comfort foods are (at least the way I make it it’s not super unhealthy…who knows what else they add into the store bought kinds….). And it’s incredibly easy to make. My friend Melissa was in the middle of cooking some up one day when I went over and the house smelled absolutely heavenly! She sent me the recipe, and even had me pick some fresh basil from her garden (talk about paradise). My phone kept glitching out while trying to follow the recipe, so I ended up altering it a bit-which honestly is nothing new because I always alter recipes to my liking-and it turned out really well. Even Daniel (who doesn’t like tomatoes) loved it.
what you will need
approx. 10 on the vine tomatoes (diced)
1/3 C chopped fresh basil (be sure it’s fresh, makes all the difference!)
2 Tbls Olive Oil
parmesan to taste approx 1/4 cup because I like lots (I used grated, but you can also use fresh)
Kosher salt to taste
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Slices of French or Artisan bread toasted
Pinch of cayenne pepper & black pepper (optional)
Fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)
toss the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil and salt in a large bowl.
In a frying pan or skillet pour 1 tbls olive oil, then cook the contents of the bowl on low to medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until tomatoes are soft but not soup like (you still want a little texture). If you want the cayenne and black pepper add them now.
Remove from heat and add the parmesan and vinegar. Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold over toast and fresh mozzarella.
***the left overs are also amazing on brown rice with some chicken***
“EAT GOOD FOOD. BE HAPPY”
-Audrey Hepburn