Bruschetta

Oven: 450ºF
Makes: 24 small slices
Serves: 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.)

NOTE: Prepare this recipe no more than an hour before serving. The bruschetta doesn’t keep well so do your best to estimate the exact amount of bruschetta needed so you don’t end up with leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

6 or 7 ripe roma tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Fresh mozzarella cheese (1/2 ball) (Can eliminate to make dairy-free, or serve on the side in slices)
2 scallions, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(parmesan cheese and capers, optional)

1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F
2. While the oven is heating, dice tomatoes. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
4. Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5. Align the 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. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.