I’ve got a great idea for you. The next time you go to the grocery store, pick up the small list of ingredients I share below and make yourself and whoever you eat lunch or dinner with some nice tomato and basil bruschette. It’ll take just a few minutes and you’ll enjoy something that’s eaten so rarely. I did this a few days ago and am so glad I did. I mean, when was the last time I’ve had bruschette? I have no idea, but it was a long time ago.
The Recipe
The recipe I used called for diced tomatoes. I had every intention of buying a few fresh tomatoes from the produce section of my favorite grocery store, but when I got to thinking of it, I ended up purchasing a big can of diced tomatoes instead. I knew how fresh tomatoes would come out, but I didn’t know how the canned version would. I’ve always had good experiences with canned tomatoes, so I was confident that the ones I bought and used would be fine.
I’m here to report, yes, canned tomatoes (although not very romantic or elegant sounding) are great for bruschette. At this point, I could go either way. If I get lots of tomatoes in my garden this year, I’ll dice up the fresh ones. If I want to prepare this recipe during the winter, I’ll go with canned. Both are great options.
Anyway, for such a simple recipe, boy was it tasty and delicious. Tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and some olive oil sure goes a long way on a piece of toasted Italian bread. I ate four pieces right off the bat and then ate a few later on in the day. Such flavor! I think you’re going to truly enjoy these.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
1 Bunch Basil, Most Cut into Thin Strips, a Few Small Leaves Remaining
1 Pound Fresh Tomatoes, Peeled, Seeded and Diced
2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
12 Slices Italian Bread, Toasted
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
I’d like to thank Carlo Bernasconi and Christian Teubner for their wonderful resource called The Complete Italian Cookbook. This is just another of their incredible recipes.
Combine Ingredients & Serve
I’m going to keep this entire process down to one step. All you need to do is combine the thin strips of basil, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, a few pinches of salt and a few turns of pepper in a bowl. Mix these ingredients up and then divide them between pieces of toasted Italian bread. Garnish with some basil leaves and you’re done. Serve and enjoy!
The Final Tomato & Garlic Bruschette
That was very painless. This is why I suggested you pick up these ingredients at the beginning of this post. The process is so easy and the result is great. If you decide to prepare this side dish, please let me know your thoughts down in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!
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