During our trip to Florence, we were able to cook a few meals at home, sampling local ingredients. We lived right in the heart of Firenze and while preparing dinner, I sent my husband Lulu out to find a rustic bread. He ended up in a "panificio" (bread bakery) and asked the baker for his most popular bread. Lulu came home with a giant loaf of Tuscan-style bread, which I sliced into thick, crusty pieces and prepared bruschetta.
Bruschetta basically consists of grilled bread rubbed with fresh garlic and topped with tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. I upped the flavors with roasted garlic and loads of fresh basil.
1. Info for Italian Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 18
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Italian Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
- 1 loaf artisan bread, sliced in 9 thick, even slices
- 1 head garlic, halved lengthwise
- 4 tablespoons puréed roasted garlic, total of 3 fresh heads of garlic
- 5 large heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (optional), chopped
- ¼ cup sweet basil, chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
3. Directions:
- For the toasted bread: Heat a large pan with 2-3 tablespoons oil. Place the pieces of bread in the hot oil. Let sit for about 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely toasted. Remove from the pan. Rub the slices of bread against the fresh garlic. Gather 3 cloves of fresh garlic and finely mince it.
- For the tomatoes: In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, the minced fresh garlic, salt, black pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.
- Assembly:
- Let the bread cool, then cover each piece of bread with a very thin layer of the squeezed roasted garlic spread.
- Add parsley (if using) and basil to the tomato mixture. Mix well. Top the bread with the tomatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil.
- Serve at room temperature.
- Bon appétit!
