Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 5 Medium-sized tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 10 large leaves of basil
• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

A few notes before I explain the procedure.

1) You will notice that the garlic will not be chopped or minced. This is done so that the garlic can be kept separate from the rest of the ingredients. Many don’t want chunks of garlic in their bruschetta. The great thing is that the garlic will still give its flavor off into the bruschetta, even if it’s only crushed.

2) When choosing tomatoes, make sure of a couple of things. The tomatoes should be ripe, therefore red. And secondly, the tomatoes should be firm on the inside. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the many varieties of tomatoes out there but can suggest using “Romana” tomatoes from Costco. They are much like “Roma” tomatoes, but larger and juicier.

3) It is best to prepare this several hours before serving. This way the garlic has a chance to give off its flavor. If you plan on using it quickly you don’t need to refrigerate it – the olive oil provides its own “seal.” If you make it the day before, you can refrigerate it overnight and take it out an hour before serving.

4) When the tomatoes are all eaten there will most likely be left over olive oil and crushed garlic cloves. Don’t throw them away! You can reuse them in the next batch of bruschetta.

Dice the tomatoes into 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm cubes, throwing out the piece on the top where the stem connects. Place in a large bowl.

Peel the garlic and crush it using the side of your knife. Throw in with the diced tomatoes.

Finely chop the basil leaves. Add to tomatoes and garlic. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Mix everything well.

Once the bruschetta “mix” has marinated, slice some French bread or any bread that you like and toast it slightly. Take a clove of garlic (either from the bruschetta mix or a new one) and rub one side of the toasted bread with it. Holding the side with the rubbed garlic up, bring the toast over the container with the bruschetta and top it, making sure to drain excess olive oil from the spoon first.

Enjoy!

 The only bread we had left in the house was hamburger buns, so we made do with what we had!