Bruschetta

Leftover tomatoes and basil? No problem!

 TGIF. I've been feeling pretty blah for the past couple of days, but it feels nice to relax now. I had to leave work early today because I was feeling so nauseous :/ I think I have a serious case of GERD. I have been having a dry cough for a few months and I just feel queasy. Guess that doesn't mean much unless you're a med school geek like me, but believe me, it's no fun. 


I left work around 2:30 and I was hoping that I would feel a little better after the drive home so I could get some stuff done.  But.. still feeling poopy. I really wanted to go to the mall and get these super cute riding boots that I can wear this fall, and I was going to stop off at the grocery store to buy some food to cook for Mikey tonight.  It's gonna be our last meal together for a while!  He's going to Indianapolis (about 3 hours away) for a urology rotation and he's leaving tomorrow.  I'm really sad because he and I are basically inseparable.  I stay at his place for weeks, sometimes months at a time and now we won't really see each other for 3 months (he's going to Chicago after Indianapolis and then I'm going to Dayton for a rotation).  Boo. Guess it's just a taste of what residency will be like. Gotta prepare myself! 


Anyways, since this is a food blog, let's talk about something yummy!

A few days ago I made a caprese salad so I have a bunch of basil and a few vine-ripened tomatoes leftover.  Not wanting any of it to go to waste, I decided to make one of my favorite appetizers - tomato and basil bruschetta. Bru-SKetta, or bru-SHetta, however you pronounce it, is actually the bread - the word bruschetta is derived from the word "bruscare", which means to roast over coals. We Americans have butchered both the pronunciation and the actual definition of the word! Anyhow, I'm just going to call my recipe tomato and basil bruschetta because I am American I don't really know what else to call it.  


As with the caprese salad, I prefer my tomato and basil bruschetta topping to consist of nice, fresh ingredients.  No canned tomatoes, no dried basil, and no jarred garlic.  Please.  I kind of threw this recipe together with the ingredients that I had on hand, so feel free to modify to your liking.  This recipe is a little heavy on the garlic, just to warn you.  I have also done this recipe with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar stirred in and it is equally as delicious.  You can also top your bruschetta with a little fresh mozzarella cheese and have a little caprese salad on toast!  Well I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It takes about 10 minutes to make, and most of that time is spent chopping. 


Oh by the way, the Kroger by Mike's apartment had chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano on sale for $3/lb! Not the "parmesan" cheese from Wisconsin or whatever, but the actual stuff from Italy (it was stamped on the rind). No offense to Wisconsin cheese - I loooove cheese and will eat almost any kind of cheese from Wisconsin any day, but I think that real Parmigiano Reggiano just has a unique flavor that cannot be replicated.  I think it was so cheap because they were corner pieces with a lot of rind, but you can just use the rind in a soup or stock.  Or you can give it to your dog! Just kidding, don't give it to your dog - he might choke and I couldn't live with that. I think that my dog would just poop it out whole.  Haha, well enjoy the recipe!

Bruschetta (adapted from foodnetwork.com)
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Ingredients

1 narrow Italian or French loaf of bread

1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

¼ freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Place a rack approximately 6 inches from broiler.

2. Slice the loaf of bread, on the bias, into 3/4-inch slices. Place bread in oven on sheet pan and broil, approximately 1 minute on each side.

3. Remove to a platter and rub each slice of bread with the garlic and then brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and return to oven for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. (watch carefully so it doesn't burn!)

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
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Ingredients

3 firm vine-ripened tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated 

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes for flavors to marry.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. 




I don't know if I'll be back to post for a few days. I am helping Mikey move tomorrow and then going back to my apartment to clean, clean, clean!  It is a crazy mess at my apartment because I have only been back to drop off dirty clothes and pick up clean ones this past month. Oh well. Have a great weekend, everyone!


xoxo <3
Nhu-Y 

Caprese salad

Simple summer salad

 A lot of the women that I have worked with this month have gardens.  Every day at lunch, they bring cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and other beautiful and colorful vegetables.  Yesterday, one of the ladies was mentioned her basil and tomatoes, so of course caprese salad came to mind.  I thought that it would be a wonderful and light salad, and it was!

Caprese salad is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania.  It is classically made of fresh sliced mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. I’ve seen variations with balsamic vinegar, with marinated cheese, with roasted tomatoes, and even on a stick! But I think the best way to have it is the classic way – it’s the way that the Italians do it, and they know best. 

Because this is such a simple recipe with few ingredients, it is important to get the best ingredients that you can.  I read a review for this recipe and the lady used jack cheese and canned tomatoes – what a crime! (AND she had the nerve to give the recipe 3 stars!)  A farmers market is perfect for this, but even if you don’t have time to go to the farmers market, just make sure you get fresh heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh (NOT dried) basil, and fresh mozzarella.  Most supermarkets now have a great cheese selection and some even have antipasti bars where you can get fresh mozzarella. A nice sweet extra-virgin olive oil is good too, but not absolutely necessary.  I have found that Trader Joe’s has a great inexpensive olive oil from California.  I can’t recall the exact name of the oil, but it comes in a tall, dark, cylindrical bottle. 

I just threw this together and didn’t really use a recipe, but I found a Rachael Ray recipe that is similar to what I did.  One thing that I like to do a little differently is season the tomatoes before I layer the salad.  The salt makes the tomatoes a little more tomato-y, if that makes any sense :). Also, I actually like to tear the basil because it makes it easier to eat. I left them whole in the pictures because it was so pretty. I hope you enjoy!

Caprese Salad (courtesy of Rachael Ray)

Serves 4
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Ingredients

3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices

1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices

20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bon appetit!