Originally published on July 11, 2014
Bruschetta is one of those things that is a favourite of most. What’s not to love about grilled bread, dripping with olive oil and tomatoes, with some fresh herbs sprinkled in? And while bruschetta really is a simple enough dish to pull together, there are a few things to remember if you want it to take you to that next level of heaven. That is, if you want actual bruschetta and not just a bunch of bread with tomatoes on it.
The most important thing to remember when you’re going for the authentic is to oil the bread and rub garlic on it immediately after toasting. In Tuscany, the word “bruschetta” actually translates into ‘oiled slice’ so as long as you’ve got that part down, whatever you choose to do with the toppings is your business. But remember to rub the garlic on and to never, ever mince it into the tomatoes. That raw garlic is likely to be too strong for most, and rubbing it on allows the garlic to melt into the bread. It’s also the way the Tuscans do it.
Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1″-thick slices
1 pint cherry tomatoes(you can use just red, or tri-coloured if you want extra aesthetic effect,) sliced in half
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled up together and then cut across (chiffonade)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place halved tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix to allow all the ingredients to come together, and then let sit out on the counter while you prepare the baguette. This will give the topping ingredients a few minutes to really blend and marry together. It also releases some of the juice of the tomatoes, making the bruschetta even juicier, messier, and yummier.
2.) While the topping is come together, place a skillet over medium-high heat on the stove and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to it. Place bread in and toast on one side for 2 – 3 minutes. Flip, and allow the other side to toast for the same amount of time. Remove from skillet, and place in more bread if you need to do it in batches.
3.) As soon as the bread comes out of the skillet, rub it with one of the halved garlic cloves on both sides. Continue doing this until all of the bread has been rubbed with garlic.
4.) Once all of the bread has been toasted, start piling the tomato topping onto it. As each slice of the baguette has had topping added to it, arrange it on a plate for serving. Once each slice of bruschetta is loaded with toppings and on the plate, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each.
5.) Serve and enjoy!