Italian Bruschetta

4 from 1 ratings

This little Italian bruschetta appetizer is always a favorite. Sometimes I like to create a bruschetta bar with selections of Italian meats, olives, cheeses or a traditional tomato and basil. You can be extremely creative and everyone will love to bite into these crispy toasts with yummy toppings. I love to use plum tomatoes for this bruschetta. First of all they remind me of my grandmother and they are hearty and can sit for a while in olive oil and still stay firm and tasty.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

8 ripe plum tomatoes
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon good quality olive oil
1 baguette french bread
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. To prepare the tomatoes parboil for one minute in a large pot of boiling water. Using a slotted spoon immediately place in an ice bath. Using a small knife, gently remove the skins. Slice in half, remove the top center stem and remove seeds then chop into quarters. Place in a large bowl. Add garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper then gently combine. Taste then cover and put in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Brush one side of each slice with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, olive oil side down. Toast them on the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Toast for about 5 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown. Take out of the oven and rub with the garlic clove. You can leave in a sealed container or bag until ready to assemble.
To serve: Align the toasted bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve.