PERFECT BRUSCHETTA

Aaaand by kind of obsessed I mean one hundred percent obsessed. Obviously.

Which is really very strange because I don’t like tomatoes. I don’t despise them but I don’t enjoy them. And what is bruschetta? Tomatoes. Ninety percent tomatoes.

But for some reason when you add some garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and a touch of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes they transform into the most delicious bite that you could ever eat.

Yeah. Ever.

IT’S SO GOOD. HOW. WHY.

I don’t know how it works…but it tastes like heaven in your mouth.

I keep my bruschetta very simple. Just a few ingredients to amp up those tomatoes and make everything taste exactly right. No need for mozzarella. No need for a fancy balsamic reduction. No need for any special tomatoes. Just simple, delicious ingredients that combine into absolute perfection.

So. Bruschetta 101. You have two main elements: 1. the tomatoes 2. the bread.

The tomatoes. First you remove the seeds and juicy “pulp” from the inside of the tomato so it doesn’t water down the mixture and dilute the other ingredients. We really just need the meat of the tomato. Throw in somefinely minced garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and a touch of balsamic. Stir that together and let it sit in the fridge while you are getting your bread ready.

The bread. Wheat French. Half a loaf. Smeared with softened butter and baked until it has reached golden brown perfection. Rubbed with a garlic clove to add an extra layer of flavor that contributes to this dish’s unfair perfection.

Throw some extra basil on top.

Take a bite. Cry tears of happiness.

Seth’s family was here visiting this weekend, meaning they were here for food blog central on Saturday when I was cooking all my stuff for this week. So they had some of this bruschetta and it was a huge hit.

It’s definitely a crowd pleaser! And they are only 150 calories per toasty, garlic-y, flavor packed piece.

I have to stop talking for a second so I can show you what is happening as I type.

This is us. Right now. I just took it from my computer. This has been happening for the past 30 minutes and I am in kitty heaven.

Kitty. Heaven.

You can’t see this, but Boone is a foot to our left sleeping on the couch.

This is my happy place. Sleepy, cuddly animals. Going on about delicious bruschetta.

Maybe Mondays aren’t so bad.

Have a happy, happy Monday and a wonderful rest of the week!! I’ll see ya on Wednesday :).

PERFECT BRUSCHETTA

 

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

Author: Annie Chesson

Serves: 7-10 pieces of bruschetta

INGREDIENTS

• For the tomatoes:
• 2 pounds of roma tomatoes (or any good, ripe tomato)
• 2 cloves of garlic, very finely minced
• 5 basil leaves (plus more for garnish), rolled up and sliced into thin strips
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• For the bread:
• ½ loaf of wheat french bread (about 7-10 slices)
• Softened butter for spreading onto the bread
• 1 clove of garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Quarter your tomatoes, and pull out all the seeds and "pulp" out of the middle with your fingers and discard so you are just left with the meat of the tomato
3. Chop the tomatoes up into small, bite size pieces
4. Transfer your tomatoes into a medium bowl and add in your garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste
5. Store in the fridge until the bread is ready
6. Slice your loaf of wheat french bread into about 1½ inch slices (ish)
7. Spread softened butter onto both sides, place the bread on a baking sheet, and place in your preheated oven for 10 minutes
8. Remove the bread from the oven, flip all of the slices over, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides
9. Slice the tip off of one garlic clove so you have a flat surface
10. Rub the garlic clove across the top of each toasted bread slice
11. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread, top with a little more basil, and serve!