A Taste of Italy

In case you're wondering, no I did not go all the way to Italy to sample their foods like I did recently here in Denver at A Taste of Colorado. I wish I had though, and since I don't have the luxury of being able to travel there at the current time, I brought Italy to me.

Tonight I made Bruschetta, and it was phenomenal! I kid you not, this is a totally simple and delicious recipe. You must try it.

To begin, go to the store and bring home Italy (AKA the following ingredients):

{french bread, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 5 roma tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and fresh mozzarella; also be sure to have butter, salt and pepper at home.}

Next, boil a pan of water. Once boiling, remove from heat and place whole tomatoes in water for 1-2 minutes. Remove tomatoes from water (you may discard water) and chop the tomatoes into small pieces (careful not to burn your fingers if the tomatoes are still hot). You may choose to remove the skin or leave it on, and remove the seeds or leave them in. I did a combination of both, removing the skin when it peeled off on it's own, and leaving the seeds that didn't fall out on their own in. Place all tomato pieces in a medium bowl.

Add 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced, to the tomatoes. Measure 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and add to the tomatoes and garlic. Chop basil into thin strips and add about 1/8 cup to tomato mixture (add more or less as preferred). Stir ingredients to mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Finally, melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan (you may choose to use oil if you wish) and brown slices of french bread on both sides, much like you would a grilled cheese sandwich (I even put a small amount of butter on one side of the bread before browning to maximize the toasting and browning). Place pieces of toasted bread on a plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve immediately and enjoy the flavors of Summer and Italy. I recommend complimenting the bruschetta with a glass of wine. Mmmm, perfecto!

Option: you may add fresh mozzarella cubes to the tomato mixture, or serve on the side.