Bruschetta with Tomato & Basil

I confess, until a couple months ago I thought Bruschetta was the combination of toasted baguettes with the tomato & basil topping. I mean when you go to an Italian restaurant it typically says Bruschetta, and what do you get?? The following! But Bruschetta (pronounced brusketta) actually refers to the garlic toasts! So now that I’ve been properly taught on the ways of bruschetta, I can present my recipe for Bruschetta with tomato & basil. So simple, so delicious!

Bruschetta with Tomato & Basil

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
5 large leaves basil, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
coarse salt & black pepper, to taste

1 baguette loaf
3 Tbsp olive oil, or more as desired
1 clove garlic

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove seeds and juice from tomatoes; dice. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar. Add basil & parsley. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down and bake 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and rub each piece of toast on the olive oil side using a clove of garlic, allowing the juices sink into the bread. Serve immediately with prepared tomato & basil mixture. Yields: approximately 2 dozen.