Bruschetta

I love apps!!! I get board easily and having a mass of different items to nosh on thoroughly amuse me. Bruschetta can vary in preparation. The base of most bruschetta is toasted bread rubbed with a clove of garlic, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. When I say bruschetta I mean all of the above with tomato, salt and pepper. Sometimes I go crazy and add basil, balsamic vinegar, or mozzarella; my 'rents like to add prosciutto.

If I am feeling chef-like I will prepare a plate of bruschetta like you see in the photo. Other times I will make roll-your-own-bruschetta; toasting the bread, rubbing it with a clove of garlic, leaving the adornments to my cohorts. Most times the adornments are made up of tomatoes, being a masochist the tomatoes are usually peeled and seeded, some extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and at times a splash of balsamic vinegar.

To have yummy bruschetta you must start with good ingredients. Great bread is a must, I like the Chabaso ciabatta bread from Costco. I am sure if I got it directly from the bakery it would be even better, but I digress. I slice the tiny loaves and toast them right on the rack in the oven. This is not the time to whip out the squishy sandwich bread, you need good, crusty, chewy bread, something with a backbone.

Once the bread is toasted I rub it with a clove of garlic, then drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. Again good extra virgin olive oil, not cheap oil! I salt and pepper the bread here as well. I top this with either sliced tomatoes or the afore mentioned peeled, seeded and diced tomato. Another light sprinkling of of salt and pepper. If you have any of those "fancy" salts use those. I need to do some more experimenting with the different salts, but that is another post. The key to good bruschetta is good quality ingredients.