Bruschetta -- an Italian delight made with the freshest of ingredients!

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How do you say it? The traditional, French pronunciation is “brew - sket - ta”, but often it is incorrectly pronounced "broo - shetta." To explain, in Italian, the combination "ch" is a hard "k" sound, as in Pinocchio. Well, however you say it, one thing is agreed upon -- it is delicious!

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Typically when I make bruschetta, I do not follow a recipe. But for newbies to bruschetta, amounts are usually helpful, so I have provided a basic recipe, which you can multiply accordingly. I have given the traditional method my own little twist by lightly sautéing the tomatoes and adding a little mozzarella, before popping under the broiler for a quick 2 minutes. I tell you "why" in the Variations section at the bottom of the recipe.

 

Serve bruschetta as a snack or as a mini pizza entree, with a fresh, green salad on the side.

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​​Bruschetta

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Download pdf Recipe

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When choosing your ingredients, use home-grown, grass-fed and organic ingredients whenever possible.

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Yield: Makes 3-6 pieces, depending on bread size

 

Ingredients:

​1 - 1 ½ tsp garlic, freshly pressed

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

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1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 cup tomatoes, diced in ¼” pieces (Roma, grape or cherry)

3 TBSP fresh basil,* chopped coarsely (see directions)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp pink Himalayan salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground peppercorns

 

1-2 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or thinly sliced

French or Peasant Bread or baguette, as per number of desired servings

 

*If you are new to using fresh basil, you might want to cut this amount back to 2 TBSP. 

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Directions:

  1. Press garlic cloves to measure 1 or 1 ½ tsp. Add 1 TBSP olive oil and set aside.

  2. Dice tomatoes small, approximately ¼” pieces.

  3. Roll fresh basil leaves in tight bunch, then cut across (chiffonade), then do cross-cuts to cut into smaller pieces. Add to tomatoes.

  4. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper to tomatoes and gently stir to mix.

  5. Heat a small sauté pan on medium high heat, then add 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, followed by the tomato mixture. Watch closely; when tomatoes begin to simmer, time for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

  6. Prepare French bread or baguette by slicing in ½” pieces, then brushing with the garlic/olive oil mixture. Add grated or thinly sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the bread. Spoon the tomato/basil mixture onto bread and place on small oven-proof pan and broil under preheated broiler for 2-3 minutes. Watch closely! Serve immediately.

 

Variations:

  1. Substitute flour tortillas in place of the French bread. Granted, it’s not as delicious as the French bread style – but in a pinch when you are hungry for bruschetta, you can still have it!

  2. Add additional mozzarella cheese on top of the bread/tomato/basil mixture and then broil, to create mini pizzas. Serve with a fresh, green salad.

  3. If desired, you can make this the traditional Italian way by using all raw ingredients (no cooking). Allow the tomato/basil mixture to rest 30 minutes to bring out the flavors. I personally like the way the flavors meld together with the quick heating in the saucepan, which also has an added health benefit: The cooking of the tomatoes helps to release a powerful antioxidant that decreases cancer and heart-disease risk.

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Bruschetta - fresh, flavorful and delicious!

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