Bruschetta

Bruschetta was the first sophisticated dish I could really make. That’s probably because it doesn’t require any cooking and is entirely dependent on the quality of your ingredients. Find some good ripe tomatoes, a decent baguette and you’re in business.

For this recipe I used the abundance of spectacular tomatoes I found this weekend at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. I chose one big striped heirloom tomato, several dry-farmed early girls and half a basket of mixed cherry (red) and sungold (orange) baby tomatoes. It doesn’t matter much what varieties you choose, just make sure they are ripe and have good flavor.

Bruschetta Ingredients

The next essential ingredient is a good baguette. I bought sour and Italian baguettes from Acme Bread Co. To turn your bruschetta from good to amazing, be sure to brush your bread slices with olive oil and lightly toast them in the oven.

For this recipe I added a diced roasted pepper, but feel free to get creative with your ingredients. Chunks of fresh mozzarella are a great addition, especially if you are having a hard time choosing between bruschetta and caprese salad.

This recipe is the perfect summer snack and can be served as a starter, side dish or brought to a potluck (keep bread and topping separate until you arrive).

Summer Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 2 c. diced summer tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, worked through garlic press
• 1/4 c. good quality extra-virgin olive oil
  

  Roasting Pepper

• juice of half lemon
• 8-10 basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
• paprika, to taste (optional)
• good sea salt, to taste
• red bell pepper, fire roasted (optional)
• splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
• sour baguette, sliced into 1/2 in. discs at an angle

If you are roasting a pepper, start by turning on a burner and placing the pepper on top. Blacken the skin evenly by using tongs to turn periodically. When the pepper is completely blackened, remove from flame and allow to cool. Scrape off blackened skin with a dull knife or fork, remove seeds, dice and set aside.

Bruschetta Mix

In the meantime preheat oven to 325 F and slice bread.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Some people add sugar, but I prefer to add a splash of balsamic vinegar if I want a little more sweetness. Paprika is also optional, but I find it adds a nice, subtle complexity. Don’t be shy with your sea salt in this recipe. Allow mixture to marinate briefly, stirring occasionally.

Olive Oil on Baguette

Next brush your baguette slices on one side with olive oil and place in warm oven. Toast for 6-10 minutes. Monitor carefully and do not allow to burn.

Place baguette slices on your serving plate and heap marinated tomatoes on top. Add extra small spoonfuls of juice on top of the mixture to add flavor and soften bread.

Serve immediately and crack the champagne.

What do you add to your bruschetta?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

New evidence that the Atkins diet may be depriving people of nutrients? You bet! There were also a few interesting articles this week about food ideology and the antagonistic tone that frequently comes up in discussions about health, food safety and politics. And Francis Lam’s greatest tomato pasta on earth article totally blew my mind (in a good way).

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on the new Digg or StumbleUpon. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Be sure to check out my guest post on how to get creative with your healthy eating over at Marbled Musings. Also this week: the controversy about exercise, more problems with industrial food (especially beef), healthy tips for the end of summer and the newly discovered benefits of fish.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there.

I also invite you to submit your own best food and health articles for next week’s For The Love of Food, just drop me an email using the contact form. I am also accepting guest posts at Summer Tomato for any awesome healthstyle tips you’d like to share.

This post is an open thread. Share your thoughts, writing (links welcome!) and delicious meals of the week in the comments below.

For The Love of Food

• 10 Creative Tips for Healthy Eating <<My guest post about getting creative with your healthy eating over at Marbled Musings.
• Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin <<The controversial article in Time Magazine brings up some interesting points, many of which I agree with and have experienced myself. Exercise is essential for health, however, and the take home message is only that diet is the most important factor in weight loss. Personally I exercise 3-6 days per week without exception.
• Exercise Won’t Make You Thin, but It Will Make You Healthy <<A short summary about how health and thinness are not the same thing. (Lifehacker)
• The Meat of the Problem <<Fantastic article about the role of meat consumption in climate change. (The Washington Post)
• Safeway Recalls Ground Beef in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming <<B.S. of the week. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty tired of contaminated food. Industrial food tries to kill us in so many different ways I’m losing count. I’m happy to report, however, that there have been no outbreaks yet this year at my farmers market. (Marler Blog)
• Sugar vs. Corn Syrup <<Fascinating time line of America’s consumption of sugar and HFCS. (Mother Jones)
• Living Healthy on a College Campus <<College is one of the most difficult times to maintain a respectable healthstyle. Here are a few easy tips to keep in mind this fall. (Lifehacker)
• How much sunshine does it take to make enough vitamin D? Perhaps more than you think! <<Cool vitamin D calculator and other helpful hints. (Nutrition Data)
• Healthy Recipes for Tomatoes-Summer’s Antioxidant Food Star <<Apparently Epicurious loves summer tomatoes as much as I do!
• Fish Oils May Prevent and Treat Heart Disease <<It’s no secret I’m a big fan of fish, but it may do more than we previously expected. (HealthDay)

What great articles did you read and write this week?