A Simple Appetizer: Bruschetta

When I think of bruschetta four things come to mind:

1. Emily.  One of my best friends and the person who introduced me to bruschetta.  (This is a picture from her wedding in October 2013, she now lives in Japan.)  Emily and I lived together after college and I remember coming home from work one day to find she and her brother Paul making bruschetta in the kitchen.  Not only was it the cutest thing that she was cooking with her little brother but it was absolutely delicious!  
   
2. The movie Julie & Julia.  I have a little obsession with Julia Child that all started with this movie.  There are very few movies that I'll watch more than once and this is one of them.  When I need motivation, I watch this movie.  In turn, when I watch this movie, I always crave bruschetta...and chocolate cream pie but we'll leave that for another day. 
   
3. Breakthrough.  My husband hates fresh tomatoes.  He avoids them at all cost.  He takes them off his salad at a restaurant and slides them onto my plate.  Despite this hatred of tomatoes, he devours bruschetta.  He even sings a little song "I love bruschetta..." and does a little jig as he eats it.  It's the funniest thing.
4. Blank.  To be honest, I started this blog several days ago and now I can't remember the last thing that comes to mind when I think of bruschetta.  I'll let you know if it comes back to me.

Bruschetta is a no rules kind of dish.  I find comfort in a recipe and usually follow them to a T but not with bruschetta.  All you need to know are the ingredients and then you can make it what you want.  

Ingredients:

• Fresh Tomatoes (whatever type is on sale)
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Garlic
• Cheese (Feta, Parmesan, whatever floats your boat)
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper
• French bread

The idea is to keep it fresh.  Fresh ingredients almost always make a recipe taste better and it's no exception with bruschetta.  If you've never made it before and need just a little more instruction, here's how I made the bruschetta you see in the picture above.

1. TOMATOES.  Chop 4-6 Roma tomates into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces.  Place the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and drain any residual juice.
2. BASIL. Chop approximately 10 large basil leaves and add to the chopped tomatoes. (Here is a good tutorial on how to chop fresh basil if you've never done it.)
3. GARLIC.  Mince 3 cloves of garlic (we're big fans of garlic so take it down to 1-2 cloves if you're not such a fan).  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and toast the minced garlic in the hot oil until brown.  This will take a couple of minutes; toss the garlic around every so often to toast it evenly.  Add to the tomatoes and basil.  *Toasting the garlic is not necessary, we just like the flavor.*
4. CHEESE.  Crumble feta cheese and add to the tomato mixture.  I used an entire 3.5oz package of feta cheese.
5. OLIVE OIL.  Drizzle in a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil (no need to be precise, just do a couple of swirls around the bowl and call it good).
6. BALSAMIC VINEGAR.  Splash in a tablespoon or less; it completely depends on your preference.  Remember to start with very little; you can always add more, not take away.
7. SALT & PEPPER.  Sprinkle in a little at a time, stir and taste test to see if it needs more.
8. FRENCH BREAD.  Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces and toast in hot olive oil/butter over medium heat.  It only takes 1-2 minutes on each side.  

Serving Suggestions:

• Bruschetta in a bowl with the toasted bread on the side.
• Pieces of toasted bread laid out on a plate with the bruschetta spooned on top (this can get a little messy but sometimes I think it makes for a better presentation).