Simple Bruschetta for a Summer Evening (Recipe)

In the last month or so, we had gotten into a routine of hitting our local pizzaria once a week for dinner.  Since we are friendly with the owner, we were treated to bruschetta almost every time we were there... and, before My Husband or I could get a piece... it was always gone!  Our Boys have acquired a taste for bruschetta!

So, I decided it was time to make it at home.  Not just to treat my family, but to ensure My Husband and I got some, too!

I found a recipe on Epicurious that seemed to fit with the ingredients I picked up at the store and made a few changes to it.

This was so quick to throw together, I know it will be something I add to dinner over the rest of the summer.  Bruschetta is basically a toasted slice of baguette that has olive oil and garlic rubbed on it... the toppings can vary according to your tastes.  I think I'll experiment a little bit and see what other combinations satisfy our tastebuds with all the fresh produce available right now.

Here are a couple of other quick and easy summer meal starters to give a try:

Chunky Salsa - I made this again recently, and it's seriously hard to stop eating it!
Gazpacho - even My Oldest has been digging into this simple summertime soup.

Simple Bruschetta
Adapted from Epicurious (link to original recipe is shown above)

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced tomatoes - plum tomatoes work best
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 baguette, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 clove of garlic
• additional olive oil to brush on the bread

 Directions

1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, basil and vinegar in a small bowl.   Add salt and pepper and taste to see if any additional seasoning is needed.
2. Brush olive oil on each slice of the baguette.  Place the sliced baguette on a baking sheet and broil for about 4-5 minutes - watch to ensure that the slices do not burn.  Once toasted, rub the garlic over the top of each slice.
3. Right before serving spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of each slice.  Do not do this too soon as it will cause the slices of bread to become soggy.

  

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.