Tomato Bruschetta and Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato Bruschetta

Is it wrong to eat 20 slices of bruschetta for dinner?  Because if it is, I don’t want to be right.

When we were in Italy last year, we did what we always do when mealtime approaches on vacation….walk up and down. And up.  And down.  And up.  And down the street reading every menu, and weighing all the options. Endlessly.

Seriously, it can literally take us longer to find the restaurant than to order and eat the meal.  I have no idea why we do this, except that we must like to torture ourselves. And amuse the locals.  It’s kind of our thing. And depending on how many of us there are, a little bit like the scene from Young Frankenstein where the villagers storm the castle with pitchforks.

There was one place though where I didn’t need to read the menu.  I saw the bruschetta.  The bread was homemade and the slices were bigger than my head.  The tomatoes were the reddest ones I’ve ever seen, and you could smell the basil from the street.

These two bruschettas are my version of that dish. Motor to follow…

Tomato Bruschetta:

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of a baguette
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 1/ 4 cup olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
• 1 package yellow grape tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons diced red onion
• 2-3 Tablespoons chopped basil

Directions:

1. Puree the garlic and olive oil (shortcut: you can buy garlic oil or garlic paste which will work as well). Add the salt and Italian seasonings after you puree and mix well to combine.
2. Brush the mixture on one side of the baguette slices and place on the top rack of the oven.  Broil for 1-2 minutes till golden.  Flip, brush second side with remaining garlic/oil mixture and broil till golden.  Remove from oven and cool.       
3. Cut the tomatoes in half and seed and dice them (you should have roughly 2/3 cup).  Add the onions and basil, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
4. Just before serving, put on top of baguettes.

Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of a baguette
• Pesto (recipe follows)
• 1 (9.9 oz) jar of artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons diced sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed)
• scant 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
• salt and pepper to taste

Pesto

• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons slivered almonds
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients  and set aside.  If making far in advance, you can cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from browning and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Directions:

1. Brush one side of the baguette slices with olive oil and place on top rack of oven.  Broil 1-2 minutes till golden.  Flip over, brush second side with oil and broil 1-2 minutes till golden.  Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Pulse artichokes in mini-processor or finely chop.  Add tomatoes without drying them when you take them out of the oil.  Sprinkle with Italian seasonings, add salt and pepper and mix till well combined.
3. Spoon a thin layer of the pesto onto the baguette slices, top with the artichoke mixture and sprinkle with some finely chopped basil.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!