Bruschetta
Summer is upon us and that means…drum roll please…fresh, local tomatoes! Fresh tomatoes are really a gem of the warmer months, and while I love eating them straight up with a touch of salt and olive oil, there are tons of other ways to enjoy their natural bright sweetness. One of my favorites foods that shows off these natural flavors is bruschetta! Add a bit of garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, and fresh herbs, and you’re ready to serve a bright, fresh, flavorful bruschetta on anything from fresh fish to the crunchy bread of your choice. Perfect for appetizers, a snack in the sun, or even the main course if you’re a real tomato stan. Check out the recipe below!
Ingredients
Makes 2 servings
2 medium tomatoes or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes: diced into roughly 1/4”-1/2” pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt: to taste
Fresh ground black pepper: to taste
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp fresh herbs: finely chopped; basil is traditional, but anything works!
1 clove garlic: minced; depending on the size of your clove and your taste for raw garlic, you may want to add it to taste!
Preparation
Prepare your tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs. Make sure you’re using a sharp knife! A dull knife may very well turn your tomatoes to mush, which is definitely not preferred for this recipe!
Add all ingredients to a bowl and gently mix until homogenous. Make sure to taste and adjust to your desired levels of acidity, saltiness, herbaceousness, and spice (via raw garlic or red chili flakes)!
Spread this over some roasted veggies, seared protein, or, my favorite, crunchy bread, and enjoy!
Best Practices:
As always:
Try to source lightly-packaged or package-free ingredients when possible! This may be difficult with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, but you can often find fresh, un-packaged herbs and tomatoes (especially around this time of the year), and some markets sell the dried chilies that contain the flakes and seeds that make up standard red chili flakes.
Try to bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping for these ingredients, and choose grocery store chains that are engaged in their community.
These ingredients have been chosen with several things in mind:
The foundation of this recipe is fresh tomatoes, so we recommend, if possible, supporting local producers! You’ll get a fresher, juicier, more flavorful tomato, and support your community! The same goes for the herbs and garlic, which there is never a shortage of at a local farmer’s market.
We leave the herb-of-choice open-ended in this recipe. Not only do many different herbs work just fine, but this also gives you an opportunity to use any herbs that are nearing the end of their life!
The rest of the ingredients are shelf-stable pantry staples, and since this recipe uses so few ingredients, we recommend opting for any higher-quality versions you may already have on hand. That said, the most sustainable version of any food is the one you already have, so #useitup!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know! If you really loved it, share it on social media and tag us (@groundedgrub), or, better yet, share it with your friends and family!