Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
We suggest using plum tomatoes for Bruschetta because it has thicker flesh, less juice, and fewer seeds than regular tomatoes. You can even use any kind of tomato for this recipe. If you use cherry tomatoes, cut them into quarters, don’t bother peeling off its skin.
Ingredients :
- Baguette slices
- 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
- 2 cloves of minced garlic (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
To thinly slice basil leaves, stack the leaves on top of each other and roll up. Then make thin slices from one end to the other with the help of a paring knife.
Procedure :
1. Blanch and peel the tomatoes:
Boil 2 quarts of water in a saucepan. Make shallow cuts in a cross pattern at the tip ends of the tomatoes (this will make the tomatoes easier to peel).
Once the water gets boiled, remove the saucepan from the heat. Put the tomatoes in the hot water for 1 minute.
Remove the tomatoes from the hot water with a slotted spoon and wait until it is cool enough to handle. Then gently peel off the tomatoes skin. Cut out the stem base with a paring knife.
Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and squeeze out the juices and seeds.
2. Preheat:
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
3. Chop tomatoes:
Finely chop the tomatoes and keep them in a bowl. Add the minced garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar to the chopped tomatoes and stir the mixture.
Then add the thinly sliced basil leaves and add salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix again.
4. Toast the baguette slices:
Use a bread knife to slice the baguette diagonally with half-inch thickness. Brush one side of each slice with olive oil (make use of a pastry brush) and toast the side of the baguette on which olive oil is applied, placing it on a baking sheet or roasting pan.
When the oven is preheated to 450°F (230°C), place the roasting pan containing the slices in the oven toast for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.
You may also use bread slices instead of baguette. Toast them until lightly browned on both sides. Then cut a clove of garlic in half and rub over one side of the toasted bread slice. Then brush with olive oil.
4. Serve toasted baguette with tomato mixture:
Arrange the toasted baguette on a serving plate, olive oil side facing up (the olive oil will help the baguette/bread from getting soggy from the chopped tomatoes) and top each toasted slices with some tomato Bruschetta mixture. If you top each slice individually, do it just before serving.
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