I’ve been enjoying Rachel’s Emerging Adult Eats blog where she writes about her meticulously planned meals, and I must admit I’m feeling a little guilty about sharing another recipe that I made without much forethought. Sometimes I have a plan, tweaking a recipe, shopping for ingredients, locating cookware and photograph-worthy dishware. More often I’m driven by the need to consume whatever we bought before it goes bad. We’re not one of those TV-statistic families that throws away 25% of the food we buy. We actually eat it. This time of year we’re buying end-of-season tomatoes by the basketful, so bruschetta is on the menu tonight.
Ingredients
- Half pound of tomatoes, hand chopped and strained
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon of red onion, diced
- Several chopped fresh basil leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
- Splash of olive oil or balsamic salad dressing
- Sprinkle of Italian herbs or oregano
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Bread for serving
Straining the chopped tomatoes makes a dryer bruschetta and keeps the bread from getting saturated. Gently mix the tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, onion, basil, and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil or balsamic dressing over the mixture. The balsamic vinegar adds tang but a good extra virgin olive oil is just as good. Salt and pepper to taste.
Bruschetta is typically served on French bread but most long rolls will work just as well. I keep Calandra rolls and Ciabatta finger rolls on hand in the freezer. Avoid using soft bread or potato rolls as they get soggy. Cut a long roll lengthwise and then in half. Brush the inside with olive oil and toast in the toaster oven.
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