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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Balsamic Bruschetta

I can't remember if I've told you how much I really dislike tomatoes. Well, if I haven't, now you know. There's just something about raw tomatoes that I don't like. But I have decided that I am not going to be a fraidy cat anymore and just try new foods. TOnight I felt like "going to Italy" for dinner and, of course, had to make bruschetta as an appetizer. I know how much mommy and Arielle love it so I put my hatred for tomatoes aside and whipped up some. Every good cook knows that they have to taste their own foods and..... WOW!!!!! It was amazing! You all know how much I love garlic (there's never enough, in my opinion!) and the garlic and basil were just fabulous together. To put my own touch on it I blended some balsamic vinegar in and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The flavors came together beautifully! Grill up some good crusty bread and you have a perfect, refreshing appetizer for a hot summer night like tonight!  OH!!! Want to make it even BETTER?! Use organic, fresh tomatoes (if you have a farmer's market they'll have a FABULOUS selection)!

What you'll need:
3 roma tomatoes
3 tbs. olive oil, plus one more for the bread
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbs. kosher salt
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil

1. Slice your bread on a diagonal and brush each side with olive oil.
2. Turn your grill pan on high and let it get nice and hot. Grill the bread for about 1 minute per side (just enough time to get the grill marks) and set aside.

3. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Put them in a strainer over a large bowl and let some of the liquid drain out (this will let the other flavors stand out).

4. While the tomatoes are draining, chop the basil (the easiest way to do this is to stack them on top of each other and roll them up like a cigar and chop!!!).

5. Put the chopped basil in a bowl with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix together.

5. Add the tomatoes into the bowl, mix together, and taste for seasoning (it might need a little more salt).

6. Take some spoonfuls and plop on top of the bread!!!


enjoy :)

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