Summer might be the very best time of year to make bruschetta, but there's no reason you can't make great it year round. The rules for summer apply - if it's late summer and tomatoes are vivid and ripe, saturated with flavor, you'll be all good. Goodtomatoes are the thing that matters most when it comes to making this classic, open-faced Italian antipasto. Bruschetta is such a simple preparation it means paying attention to the little details matters. In spring that might mean using great artichokes, or caramelized onions and squash in winter. Today I'm going to talk through how I make my favorite version of this easy appetizer and include a few simple, seasonal variations as well.
Ingredients
- 3 fresh tomatoes, ripe
- A small handful of basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon good-tasting white wine vinegar (or red/balsamic), or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 3 - 4 sourdough or country-style bread slices (at least 1/2-inch thick)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- Rinse and dry your tomatoes.
- Halve each of them, use a finger to remove the seeds, and cut out the cores.
- Roughly cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a medium bowl.
- Tear the basil into small pieces, and add that as well
- Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, a small splash of vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
- Gently toss, taste, adjust if necessary, and set aside.
- Heat a grill or oven to medium-high.
- When it’s ready, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to brush across the slices of bread.
- Grill or bake until well-toasted and golden brown with a hint of char.
- Flipping when the first side is done.
- Remove from grilled and when cool enough to handle, rub both sides of each slice of bread with garlic
- Cut each slice of bread in half if you like, and top each segment with the tomato mixture.
- And a finishing drizzle of olive oil is always nice.