What’s fresh this week. If you visit your local farmers market you will see a rainbow of different colors of tomatoes. There are cherry tomatoes in all shapes and colors, heirloom green stripes, Italian plums and the good old red tomato. I filled my bag with an assortment of tomatoes and bought some great bread, I’m ready to make some bruschetta. Since I have so many types of tomatoes I am going to share 3 different ways to make tomato bruschetta. The first tomato is the heirloom green stripe which has a mild flavor so I want to make sure I use an olive oil with some great flavor. The second tomatoes are a box of rainbow cherry tomatoes, so many colors and shapes so I am going to keep this one simple. The last tomato will be with red tomatoes and the traditional bruschetta is the best way to enjoy them.
Heirloom Bruschetta
3 small heirloom green stripe tomatoes, sliced
12 slices fresh mozzarella
3 cloves garlic, minced
Balsamic vinegar (Get a really good aged one)
Garlic olive oil
12 pieces any rustic bread, sliced
Salt & pepper
fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the bread on both sides with the garlic olive oil and bake in the oven until golden brown on both sides. This should take about 2-3 minutes of each side, remove from oven. Lay two slices of tomatoes and one slice of mozzarella cheese on each slice of bread. Sprinkle with the minced garlic and drizzle some of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh basil.
Rainbow Bruschetta
1 pint rainbow cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 basil leaves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons basil flavored olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 loaf bread with kalamata olives, sliced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the olive bread on both sides with the olive oil and bake in the oven until golden brown on both sides. This should take about 2-3 minutes on each side, remove from oven. In medium bowl combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon tomato mixture over toasted bread and enjoy.
Traditional Bruschetta
2 large red tomatoes, diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 basil leaves, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 loaf french baguette, sliced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the french baguette on both sides with the olive oil and bake in the oven until golden brown on both sides. This should take about 2-3 minutes on each side, remove from oven. In medium bowl combine tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place tomato mixture in a bowl on a large plate and place toasted bread around the bowl or scoop tomato mixture on each piece of bread and place on a large serving platter.
