When someone says bruschetta I think of a finger food type appetizers served at a swanky event somewhere, not something that I would whip up at home... but I did and its amazing!
Bruschetta originated in Italy and is a slice of bread toasted in the oven or grilled, rubbed with garlic (but you don't have to) and traditionally topped with an extra-virgin oil , tomatoes, salt and balsamic vinegar. So I set about recreating this tasty little morsel using our Balsamic Fusion avocado oil vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Bread for toasting. Use a heavy bread such as Ciabatta or Sourdough or other bread that will hold the weight of the topping without getting soggy but still having a soft inside texture.
2 cups of cherry or Roma tomatoes diced (but any tomatoes handy will do)
1/2 cup of basil roughly chopped plus extra for garnish
3 garlic cloves minced (or you can use ready made minced garlic if necessary)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped red onion
1-2 tablespoons of Balsamic Fusion avocado vinaigrette (plus a bit extra to drizzle to make it fancy)
Salt and pepper to taste (I used Smoked Salt)
Instructions
Start with dicing your tomatoes into small pieces. Place the diced tomatoes in a strainer and toss with a pinch of salt and allow the excess water to release.
Once your tomatoes have drained, place tomatoes, basil, garlic, red onion and add just enough Balsamic Fusion avocado vinaigrette to lightly coat the ingredients in a bowl and set aside to marinate while you prepare the bread. Do not make the mixture wet with the Balsamic Fusion.
Slice your bread and lightly drizzle each side with a small amount of avocado oil or use butter. Place in a hot frying pan and toast each side until golden brown and crispy.
Set your toasted bread on a plate and spoon on some of your tomato bruschetta mixture.
Add just enough so that your toasted bread is covered and piled high but not too much that it all falls over.
Drizzle additional Balsamic Fusion over the top of your bruschetta (but don't drown it). Add basil to garnish and smoked salt (or salt and pepper) to taste and serve immediately.