Bruschetta is a nice dish as an appetizer or an afternoon snack. There are a lot of different ways to make it, but they should all have one thing in common: you start with garlic bread. When someone says "bruschetta," a lot of people automatically think of bread topped with tomatoes.
The word bruschetta actually refers to the bread, which is traditionally rubbed with olive oil and garlic, not the topping. You can, of course, just eat the bread part. I like to dip it in tomato sauce or seasoned olive oil. But, there are also many recipes for the topping that are worth trying out.
The topping I have for you is a simple tomato, basil, and olive mixture. I strongly recommend using Kalamata olives rather than black olives. Green olives could also work. Kalamata and green olives have a much stronger flavor than black olives, which adds a nice tangy flavor to the recipe. If you're not a Balsamic vinegar fan, I'd also recommend replacing it with red wine vinegar. The vinegar helps to brighten up the flavor even more, so I don't recommend skipping it.
We'll have a lot more recipes for different bruschetta toppings in the future, so stay tuned! Enjoy!
Tomato & Olive Bruschetta
Makes: 2-4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 oz coarsely grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese
6–8 basil leaves, chopped
12–16 Kalamata olives, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil, plus more for bread
1 tsp Balsamic or red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Coarsely ground pepper
Loaf of Italian bread
Garlic powder
1. Turn on the oven broiler.
2. Mix together tomatoes, cheese, basil, olives, 1 tsp oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Slice the bread to your desired thickness (the thinner, the crispier), and brush one side of each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder, then broil until beginning to brown. Top the bread with the tomato mixture to serve.