Ah! Classic Bruschetta! My daughter and I fell in love with this incredible concoction the first time we tasted it in a tiny upstairs Italian restaurant in Philadelphia years ago. The kitchen was steps away from our table.
Was it authentic? Well, the chefs argued heatedly in Italian! We nibbled on the bruschetta and thoughtfully rolled every bite around on our tongues, trying to analyze the ingredients so we could recreate it at home in Nebraska.
If you've been reading my posts for a while, you know I almost always have a back story for you! That evening, we were in Philadelphia for a gift show, selling the most adorable appliqued tea towels and other fabric items.
Apple Kay's was the name of our cottage industry back home in Nebraska. We went into business in the '80s. For 22 years, we sold thousands of them in both holiday and everyday designs. We stitched my simple patterns onto homespun towels. Here are a couple of the designs so you get an idea of what we manufactured.
We traveled a lot during the years we sold tea towels. Philadelphia was one of our favorite spots! Our best accounts at that market were adorable little shops in cute tourist areas along the East Coast.
We were hicks back then and we still are! However, we've never shied away from a culinary adventure! We loved the amazing tandoori at an Indian restaurant we found and gobbled up wiener schnitzel, spaetzle, and red cabbage at Otto's Brau Haus! But until that evening, we'd never tasted bruschetta.
Bruschetta (say it Broo-sketta) is a class of antipasto (appetizers) and not a specific recipe. Every Italian kitchen has a unique way to make it. We fell in love with the version of bruschetta we ate in the tiny restaurant where we first discovered it.
This is as close as I can get. It’s really a method more than it is a recipe. We have it almost every day in the summer when fresh tomatoes are abundant at the farmer’s market.
I often make just one or two tomatoes for Papa and me. When we meet up for a family summer feast, I make a huge batch using 8 or 10 big tomatoes and a giant bunch of basil.
Try spooning bruschetta on a burger or add it to a salad. Bellissimo! I must tell you it should come with a warning label. Caution: this substance may be addictive!
Bruschetta is fun to say, and it's even more fun to eat! I could make a meal of it! Best of all, it's quick and easy to throw together. I bet you'll be making it all summer long now that you know how!
Wash, core, and chop the tomato coarsely. Toss it in a bowl, reserving as much juice as you can. I prefer a glass bowl because this is somewhat acidic.
You can use a combination of yellow and red tomatoes or any heirloom variety. They make the dish even more beautiful. Cherry or grape tomatoes work fine, too. But especially homegrown tomatoes. And my Lord, especially if they are still warm from the sun!
Some prefer to use only the tomato's meat, and you can decide. We chop up the whole tomato, seeds, and all. We love the "jus" that forms when everything mingles and the delicious way it soaks into the bread or cracker you choose. You will develop your own spin on bruschetta, and I say go for it!
Once you have chopped the tomatoes, stack and roll the basil leaves and cut them into thin ribbons, this process is a chiffonade. For my fellow word nerds, it’s pronounced “chif·fo·nod.” It comes from a French word meaning “little ribbons.”
I'm not especially proud of how my basil "chiffonade" looks in this picture. I admit I was in a hurry, but I was born that way. Ideally, stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll them up, and cut them into skinny little strips.
If you're a purist, you can find dozens of videos about making a perfect chiffonade, thanks to Google. If you're not, do what I do. Close your eyes, open your mouth, and slurp it up!
Now, simply add the rest of the ingredients, stir gently, and allow it to sit while the ingredients meet, fall in love, and make magic. In my opinion, bruschetta tastes best at room temperature.
If you don't eat it all, store it in the refrigerator, but let it sit out a bit before you serve it. Tomatoes vary a lot in their sweetness, so feel free to adjust your sugar, salt, and balsamic until your mouth is happy!!
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, serves her classic bruschetta on crostini or thin buttered garlic toast. She makes hers in a skillet, and it looks amazing! Hint: Some sandwich shops sell their skinny day-old loaves for fifty cents, and they work perfectly to make crostini!
Here's the deal though. For a lot less hassle and time spent, we have found a woven wheat cracker such as Triscuit works splendidly and soaks up all the marvelous juices like a sponge. It sure works for our hungry bunch.
Ta-Da!! You are now a kitchen maven who can whip up a batch of fresh bruschetta like a champ!! Enjoy!! And love every drop of sunshine in the season!
Also, I have to add that this recipe is always a big winner at my Christmas cookie exchange. When I make it in December, I use store-bought "tomatoes on the vine."
Bruschetta is an appetizer that begins with firm ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. Salt, sugar, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil make it sing in Italian!
Have you ever tried bruschetta? Have you ever made it in your own kitchen? Have you put chopped olives in it? Yes or no?
Here are a couple of other favorite summertime recipes we love to eat! Amish Macaroni Salad, Root Beer Float Cake, and White Barbecue Sauce.
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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