Marinated Tomato Bruschetta

I am not sure what it is about bruschetta but I just cannot get enough of it. I think it might be that it feels like I am eating something healthy even though I am definitely not eating something to slim my waistline. Also, it is generally accompanied by a little known drink called WINE! You do not need to drink wine with bruschetta but it just makes it taste that much better. If you are not a drinker, a nice sparkling water with lime does the trick too. Oh yeah! I am feeling so sophisticated.

This is one of the first dishes that I learned to make once my husband and I bought our house. I think it was because now that I had a home, I really wanted people to come over and we could all act like adults together by sharing pleasantries and noshes. Oh, I was so overzealous in those days.

When I think of bruschetta, I generally think of the traditional tomato bruschetta like they serve at many of the Italian restaurants. My favorite tomato bruschetta of all time is served at a fantastic restaurant called Café Boa. Wow! The flavors that they get from the marinated tomatoes is such a perfect blend of tanginess from the vinegar and garlic and sweetness from the roma tomatoes. It’s served with some crunchy crostini. It is the perfect pair. I can almost taste it now.

Knowing that this was my favorite of all time and I no longer lived close to this restaurant, I needed to recreate it at home not only for my future scholarly guests but also for me. I discovered that all that yummy flavor was in the olive oil and balsamic marinade. I decided to infuse the olive oil with garlic before pouring it over the diced roma tomatoes. So put your garlic and olive oil in a small saucepan over low to medium low heat. You really need to watch it because it needs to be taken off right when the garlic starts to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will become bitter. Once this is done set aside.

Now on to the tomatoes. This was another trick that I had to play around with until I got it right. The first couple of times I just diced them up like I would for any other recipe. The trick is to scoop out all of the seeds. Basically, just cut them in half vertically and with a spoon, scoop out all of the seeds. Now dice like you would for any other recipe. Use a sharp paring knife to dice them up small.

Put them in a bowl and add warm garlic oil, balsamic, basil, and salt and pepper. I use my frozen chopped basil for this recipe. I like the basil minced but if you like it larger it is entirely up to you. Then you put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to marinate. It is probably okay to serve after an hour but the longer they sit, the better they taste. I generally taste them a time or two to see if I got the olive oil to balsamic ratio correct. This is more to individual taste so you may need to change it slightly for your own palete. I always went off the color of the marinade. If it is a salmon/gray color, you are good to go! I know that doesn’t sound too pleasing but it makes for the most luscious marinated tomatoes. I use this for other dishes as well. They are great on fish, in a salad, or on grilled chicken. Yummy!

I serve the tomatoes on baked crostini. I usually buy one of the long skinny baguettes from the grocery store and slice. Place slices on a baking sheet lined with foil and brush with olive oil. Place under broiler until they start to brown slightly. I do this for all my bruschetta recipes. Place crostini on serving platter and carefully spoon marinated tomatoes on. They are now ready to be served! Some people have asked me about adding cheese but I think it just takes away from the magnificent flavor of the tomatoes. I have another recipe for the caprese fans out there. Just trust me, it is just too good not to eat like this.

4 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced small

¼ cup Olive oil OR to taste

2 tsp Balsamic vinegar OR to taste

1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1 Tbls fresh basil, minced

Salt and pepper

Baguette for crostini (slice, brush with olive oil, and broil until slightly toasted)

Heat oil and garlic in saucepan over low-medium low heat until garlic starts to brown. Remove from heat. In a bowl, add all ingredients. Mix and store in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve on crostini.

#recipe #entertaining #appetizer