Bruschetta with Jersey tomatoes

Bruschetta with Jersey tomatoes - recipe
August 9th, 2010 8:57 pm

Bruschetta with Jersey tomatoes
Photo: photo by Katie Dalrymple Photography
Jersey Tomatoes are some of the best tomatoes around . I always had a garden in my old house but in my new house the backyard does not get much sun . The last four summers I tried , but to no avail . I finally gave up. I do support our local farm markets which Jersey is known for. No state has farm markets like us , New Jersey has the best . I have been anticipating fabulous tomatoes all summer and bought some yesterday .August is always my favorite month for fresh Jersey tomatoes. Here is a family recipe we make quite often. Easy and fast to make . Great for appitizers or as a snack . Just like all my other recipes you can experiment. I prefer extra virgin olive oil. You can use lite or extra lite olive oil. I love Locatelli cheese . You can substitute Romano or Parmesan cheese if you like. Play with your taste buds . I hope you enjoy !
Bruschetta with Jersey Tomatoes
-4 large tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
-2 cloves garlic, cut in half
-1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
-6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
-Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1 baguette Italian bread or 3 Italian torpedo rolls
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , 1/4 grated Locatelli cheese
1- Prepare the tomatoes first. Cut the tomatoes in halves . Also cut out and discard the stem area and any ugly parts or bad spots . 2 -Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 350°F to preheat.
3 -While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes into diced squares. Put tomatoes , 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4 -Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 350°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5 -Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Now place some tomato mixture on each slice of bread . Sprinkle each slice with the locatelli cheese and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch