Bruschetta
Submitted by: Trevor Bothwell
From "50 Ways to Impress Your Girlfriend's Parents"
- 1 loaf French Bread
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup fresh Roma tomato, finely diced
- 1/2 of 1 red pepper, quartered and finely diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- Seasoned Oil:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped, or moist basil from a jar
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Bruschetta, a traditional Italian appetizer, is a delicious beginning to any pasta or red sauce dinner. It may take a few attempts to perfect this hors d'oeuvre, but once you do, you'll make it all the time.
In a small mixing bowl, combine basil and olive oil and mix with a pastry brush. Next, add oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder and stir.
Slice French bread into one inch thick slices and place in rows onto cookie sheet. Use a fork to prick holes into bread slices. Use pastry brush to coat each bread slice with seasoned oil (be very generous). Add diced red pepper, red onion, garlic, and diced tomatoes (season with a bit of salt and pepper before adding to bread) to each slice of bread; then sprinkle parmesan cheese over the tomatoes. Drizzle a bit more oil over the topping. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until bread becomes crisp.
After baking, remove Bruschetta from oven and add shredded mozzarella cheese over tomato. Sprinkle a bit more oregano over mozzarella and place back into oven to broil on middle oven rack for 2 or 3 minutes, or until cheese becomes golden brown.
Once cheese has melted, remove from oven and serve on a tray. Salt to taste.
Yield: 12 - 14 slices
[ Last Updated: 05-Jan-2006 | Reader Comments Report Problem
