Here is a classic summer appetizer recipe then: my Italian bruschetta recipe. Plain and simple diced tomatoes with fresh basil on grilled bread crostini. Light and healthy!
And a great nibble or light starter to boost your and your family’s appetite!
If you prepare this one, make sure to use good quality tomatoes, very ripe ones if possible.
Fresh Tomatoes
Because the tomato flavor here in this bruschetta recipe is the most important thing. It will turn into a bland mix if you use unripe or tasteless tomatoes. You can peel the tomatoes if you want but I like that little crunch coming from the skins.
If I can’t find any good ripe Italian tomatoes, then I prefer to use cherry tomatoes instead.
But that is totally up to you.
Easy Classic Italian Bruschetta Recipe
Here is a great idea though to pimp this bruschetta recipe up even more.
Slice some fresh mozzarella cheese up. Sprinkle this tomato bruschetta on top of it.
Drizzle with good quality olive oil. Season with pepper, salt. And finish with fresh basil.
Looks spectacular!
I have also seen this bruschetta salsa sprinkled on top of grilled fish or cold pasta sometimes, mainly around the mediterranean.
The French use a similar sauce for fish which they call a ‘sauce vièrge’. It contains olive oil, chopped fresh herbs and diced raw tomato.
Chilled
Delicious!
Light and healthy.
I prefer to serve this classic tomato bruschetta preferably chilled rather than at room temperature. Especially in the summer. That strong balsamic vinegar really kicks in if the bruschetta comes right out of the fridge.
Glass of red wine on the side, yum.
Enjoy!
Easy Classic Italian Bruschetta Recipe
- 4 slices French bread
- 4 medium fresh tomatoes very ripe
- 4 tbsp red onion chopped
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 handfuls fresh basil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Rinse and clean the tomatoes. Remove the skins if you like (poach the tomatoes in some hot water for a couple of seconds) but that is optional. Chop them in quarters and remove the seeds inside. Then slice the tomato up into thin strips and finely dice these strips up once more. Add the diced tomato to a large mixing bowl.
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Rinse the fresh basil and drain it on a clean kitchen towel. Then chop the basil up and add it to the diced tomato in the mixing bowl.
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Stir well. Peel the garlic clove and mash it up under the blade of your knife until you get a garlic paste. Add both the mashed garlic and the red onion to the bowl.
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Stir again. Then add half of the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil.
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Stir well. Season the bruschetta with some pepper and salt.
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Stir the bruschetta well. Cover with some cling film and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then stir again and check the seasoning. Add extra olive oil, balsamic oil, pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Cover the bruschetta again and let it marinate for another 10 to 15 minutes in the fridge. Serve the bruschetta cold on toasted French bread.
Bruschetta Recipe with Brie
This very next bruschetta recipe with brie is a small variation on the classic Italian tomato appetizer.
It is even one of my favorite appetizers. Simple, quick, light and enormously fresh and tasty. It does exactly what it’s meant to do: boost the appetite.
Apart from toasting the bread and grilling the cheese there is very little cooking involved here.
You only need to chop up some fresh tomato and savory fresh basil, toss it all together a bit and serve over the freshly grilled cheesy bread.
How simple is that!
Appetizer
This bruschetta is the perfect summer appetizer!
Choose a good quality tomato for this recipe because its taste is the most important flavor here. Remember to top the bread with the bruschetta right before serving. Avoid the bread from turning soggy because of the tomato and olive oil.
You can keep the bruschetta simple and classic or go ahead and have fun adding other savory ingredients. Only make sure it fits your guests’ mouth without spilling too much…
Drinks & Nibbles
You can also decide to serve it as an entree at the table if that makes you feel safer. It tastes just wonderful in combination with a sparkling glass of Italian prosecco.
Let’s toast!
So here is a classic summer appetizer, with a twist. Italian bruschetta with brie cheese and salami. Plain and simple diced tomatoes with fresh basil on grilled bread. Light, healthy, easy to make and so delicious!
Enjoy!
Easy Bruschetta Recipe with Brie
A classic with a twist: tomato bruschetta crostini with brie!
- 6 slices French bread or ciabatta
- 6 slices brie
- 1 large fresh tomato very ripe
- 1 small garlic clove peeled
- 3 slices salami
- 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp capers in brine
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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1) Rinse and clean the tomatoes. You can remove the skins if you like (poach the tomatoes in some hot water for a couple of seconds) but that is optional. Chop them in quarters and remove the seeds inside. Then slice the tomato up into thin strips and finely dice these strips up once more.
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2) Add the diced tomato to a large mixing bowl. Rinse the fresh basil and drain it on a clean kitchen towel. Then chop the basil up and add it to the diced tomato in the mixing bowl.
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3) Put the French bread or ciabatta slices on a large oven tray and grill them for 2 minutes until a little crisp. Remove the tray from the grill and rub the crispy bread lightly with the peeled garlic clove on one side
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4) Top with the sliced brie and sprinkle with a little pepper.
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5) Slice the salami in half and put them on top of the brie.
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6) Put the tray back into the oven and bake the brie toasts under a hot grill for a couple of minutes again, now until the brie is gooey and starts to melt. Take the tray back out, place the brie toasts on a clean serving plate and garnish with the freshly made tomato bruschetta.
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7) Drizzle with extra good quality olive oil and a last sprinkle of pepper and salt. Serve immediately before the toasts turn soggy.
Tomato Crostini with Mozzarella & Ham
Oh here is yet another take on the classic bruschetta recipe then!
No diced fresh tomatoes and basil needed here this time. Just because you might need a break but a fresh tomato paste, some sliced ham and mozzarella.
Serve these crostini as an appetizer or a creative lunch!
Enjoy this one!
Tomato Crostini with Mozzarella Recipe
- 10 slices French bread
- 10 small slices mozzarella
- 5 slices cured ham
- 1 medium fresh tomato
- 1 small garlic clove
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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1) Fill a saucepan with water and place it over high heat until boiling. Make a little cross incision in the tomato. Then add the tomato to the boiling water. Let it poach for10 seconds max.
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2) Then immediately remove the tomato and refresh it under cold running tap water. Then peel de tomato. Chop it into 4 bits and remove the seeds inside. Chop up the tomato flesh.
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3) Pour a little olive oil in a small pan and add the freshly chopped tomato. Season with a little pepper and salt. Stir and fry the tomato for a couple of minutes until it is soft and has fallen apart. You should end up with a paste.
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4) Then take the pan off the heat and let the tomato cool a little. In the meantime grill or toast the bread. Then rub the slices with a little raw garlic.
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5) Spread the tomato paste on top. Garnish the sliced bread with the cured ham and the mozzarella. Sprinkle with a little pepper. Then grill the crostini for another couple of minutes until the mozzarella has kind of melted.
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6) Serve these crostini as an appetizer or a creative lunch!