Too Many Tomatoes? Time for Terry's Bruschetta!

Our friend Terry makes the best bruschetta (brew-sket-ta) ever. Her classic recipe calls for lightly grilled bread brushed with garlic and is topped with a tomato and basil mixture. Everyone asks Terry for it (even my sister!), and no one can believe how easy it is to make.

The key to great bruschetta, Terry says, is to use good, extra virgin olive oil. The topping is prepared in advance, and the only trick to the dish is to put the tomato mixture over the bread just before it’s to be served. After fifteen or twenty minutes, the bread becomes mushy.

Even straight out of the kitchen, this is one messy appetizer and apt to spill all over your guests’ laps. So my tip for this recipe: Always serve Terry’s bruschetta with plenty of napkins!

Terry’s Bruschetta

Ingredients:
5 medium tomatoes, very ripe
Salt
10-12 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon capers (optional)
3/4 cup non-filtered extra virgin olive oil

Slightly stale bread, toasted
Two or three cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:
1. Dice tomatoes and put in colander to drain. Spread tomatoes in colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Continue to drain 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Grill bread in an oven or toaster oven. Brush raw garlic over each piece.

3. Squeeze tomatoes with your hands, one handful at a time, and put in a large bowl. Finely chop basil and mix it with the tomatoes. Stir in capers if you are using them. Add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. (Don’t skimp on the olive oil. If you tip the bowl slightly, you should see some oil gather at the bottom.) Add salt to taste.

4. Spoon tomato mixture over grilled bread immediately before serving.

--Tracy Schneider

Comments

[usb kabel on September 18, 2009 at 03:30 AM]

I love bruschetta, it's so yummy, yours looks delish! I can't wait for tomatoes to be in season here again. Anyways it was really a wonderfull post and thank you for sharing your recipe....