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Italian Bruschetta with Cherry Tomatoes
This simple Italian appetizer is popular all over Italy and it makes a great snack or appetizer. Bruschetta is one of many Italian fancy appetizer recipes, but it is surprisingly simple to put together. You can use any kind of toasted bread, but baguette slices are especially nice with bruschetta recipes. This recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, which are halved and roasted. Roasting tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness. If you want them really soft, you can roast them for forty or fifty minutes, but this will bring them almost to a puree consistency.
The recipe features garlic and onion, to bring out the lovely sweet tomato flavor, as well as some arugula to add a contrasting color and an aromatic flavor. Feel free to swap the arugula for fresh basil. Some people like to add cheese too and you can grate some parmesan or mozzarella over the bruschetta and then finish it off under the broiler to melt the cheese.
These easy party appetizers are lovely served warm and they go very well with a glass of fruity Italian red wine. Bruschetta is a great way of capturing the summer flavors of homegrown tomatoes, aromatic basic and pungent garlic, although a slice of hot bruschetta is just as welcome in the cooler months as during the warmer ones. Despite being bread-based, bruschetta is not too hearty or filling to be an appetizer.
Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Arugula
Ingredients -
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
14 toasted baguette slices
¼ teaspoon salt
3 minced garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 handful arugula, for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss them with the onion, oil, salt and pepper.
Arrange on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
Spread the garlic over the baguette slices, and then top them with the roasted tomato mixture.
You can finish the bruschetta off under the broiler if you want to brown the tomato mixture more or warm it up.
Garnish with arugula and serve warm.
(Serves 14)
Italian Bruschetta Recipe
Photo Description:
The textures and colors of this delicious bruschetta recipe make it a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach. Bruschetta is easy to make and you can adapt the recipe if you want to. The traditional ingredients are bread, garlic, and tomatoes, but you can add other flavors to personalize these fancy party appetizers. Bruschetta is a great appetizer if you are serving an Italian meal, or you can make the slices small and serve it as finger food. Bruschetta baking in the oven or finishing off under the broiler will make your whole kitchen smell amazing.
