I have a wonderful recipe for Bruschetta. I first made it for my Bunco group in June when I hosted. It came out so good, that I started making it and experimenting with different recipes. When I saw the movie, Julie/Julia I saw that she put the bread in a pan instead of the oven, so I tried that and you can do it either way. It tastes wonderful and I think the only thing that is fattening is the bread and they are small slices.

Ingredients:

6 or 7 ripe plum or regular tomatoes ( 1 1/2 lbs ) off the vine is best
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and freshly round black pepper to taste

1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
1/4 cup olive oil.

Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. I only do this with the plum tomatoes. I think this is optional. When I use regular vine tomatoes, I don’t boil them.
Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seed and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.
Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450 degrees to preheat. I have also tried doing this in a pan, either way works. While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can grow your own basil, I have one small plant in my kitchen window. However, if you buy it in the store, it does not stay fresh for long, so use it soon after you purchase. Remember you only need 6-8 fresh leaves.

Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place the bread on a cookie sheet, olive side down. Toast on top rack for 5-6 minutes until bread begins to turn golden brown.

You can serve it with the tomatoes on the bread or leave it in a bowl and have your guests make their own. You can also melt cheese on the bread but it is so good either way. You will have enough left over to serve with cottage cheese with lunch the next day or over noodles.

Enjoy!!!

It is so good……………………..