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Last Days of Summer: Mixed Bruschetta

September 17, 2006 by Nicole 27 Comments

bruschetta-for-web.jpg

Yes, I know that I’ve been talking a lot about fall and how I’m ready for summer to be over. But the weather was beautiful yesterday and when I took a friend to the open market in Catania, there were still so many beautiful tomatoes and fresh herbs that it made me want to hold on to summer for just a little while longer. So, if you still have access to some tomatoes, let’s make one of my all-time favorite appetizers…Bruschetta!

I’m sure that no matter where you live, most of you have tasted bruschetta in one form or another. The original bruschetta is from central Italy and consists of nothing more than grilled bread rubbed with cut garlic and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper. But the version that seems to be most popular around the world includes diced tomatoes, garlic and any number of additional ingredients. It seems that you can put just about anything on a little toasted round of bread and it tastes wonderful!

The bruschetta that I have started making since moving to Sicily is topped with a mixture of chopped cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, crushed red pepper, olive oil, salt and pepper and just a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar. You can use any kind of Italian or french bread as long as you slice it and either grill it or toast it under the broiler on both sides. It’s a simple appetizer that always tastes amazing.

Today for lunch I decided to experiment with a couple of new flavors in my bruschetta. I ended up making three versions: my original (bruschetta al pomodoro), a Greek-inspired version (bruschetta greca), and a Mexican-inspired version (bruschetta messicana). I loved them all so I can’t tell you which one tastes best. I guess you will have to try them yourself and see what you think!

I am not giving exact amounts of anything so here’s what I suggest: Depending on how much bread you are going to toast, cut up an amount of tomatoes that you think will be enough to mound on the bread slices. Then add the other ingredients a little at a time, tasting often, until you come up with a flavor you like. If you don’t have enough, make more 🙂

I always make the topping before toasting the bread so that the flavors can mingle and a nice amount of juice can collect in the bottom of the bowl while it sits for a few minutes. When you put the topping on the bread, spoon on that extra juice so that the bread can soak it up.

Here are the ingredients for the three bruschetta toppings:

Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Cherry tomatoes, diced
Fresh garlic, minced
Fresh basil, minced
Crushed red pepper (just a pinch)
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (just a dash)
Pinch of salt

Bruschetta Messicana

Cherry tomatoes, diced
Red onion, minced
Fresh cilantro, minced
Fresh jalapeno, minced
A squeeze of fresh lime juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt

Bruschetta Greca

Cherry tomatoes, diced
Fresh garlic, minced
Black olives, sliced
Feta cheese, crumbled or diced
Fresh oregano, minced (or substitute dried)
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt
Fresh Ground pepper

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Filed Under: Appetizers

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. cakebaker_cakemaker says

    September 18, 2006 at 1:52 am

    Your bruschetta is beautiful, not like some I have had put in front of me at restaurants:):)
    Reply
  2. joyce says

    September 18, 2006 at 2:35 am

    They all look good but anything with cilantro in it gets my vote, although feta can't be far behind. I think I will have to try all three asap.
    Reply
  3. mac says

    September 17, 2006 at 7:39 pm

    Bruschetta Greca, no doubt. If it's got black olives, I'm so there.
    Reply
  4. amanda says

    September 18, 2006 at 10:44 am

    mmm! i could gobble all three of them up right now! and your photos look amazing as always :-)
    Reply
  5. Brilynn says

    September 18, 2006 at 5:04 pm

    Your picture is very elegant and I'm sure these taste amazing. Bruschetta is definitely a favourite appetizer, how can you lose with something that looks nice, is easy to prepare, and most importantly, tastes great?
    Reply
  6. Kathy says

    September 18, 2006 at 5:45 pm

    nicole, I missed the farmer's market Saturday but I will definitely try this next weekend. The Messicana sounds like home !
    Reply
  7. Kathy says

    September 18, 2006 at 5:46 pm

    Oh, question, Nicole- do you brush the bread with olive oil after toasting or just load up the topping ?
    Reply
  8. Corinne says

    September 18, 2006 at 6:37 pm

    Normally i'm not a big fan of bruschetta, but this looks so good! I have to try these sometime!
    Reply
  9. Nicole says

    September 18, 2006 at 9:06 pm

    Kathy: I don't brush the bread with olive oil at all. I just load up the topping and the olive oil and tomato juices soak into the bread.
    Reply
  10. Connie says

    September 19, 2006 at 5:11 am

    even though it was 85 here today, i miss summer already. although, fall leaves are nice, but you can't have squash bruschetta
    Reply
  11. Laurie says

    September 19, 2006 at 2:31 pm

    Oh man, those look good! I am lovin' your blog!! Laurie
    Reply
  12. Sandy says

    September 19, 2006 at 4:39 pm

    They all look so good! Guess I will have to try them all.
    Reply
  13. peabody says

    September 20, 2006 at 12:19 am

    Nice way to say goodbye to Summer.
    Reply
  14. cooknkate says

    September 20, 2006 at 2:49 pm

    yummmm...one of my most snarfable items.
    Reply
  15. Ivonne says

    September 21, 2006 at 4:23 am

    Well ... if summer must go then I'd like to say goodybe with this bruschetta. Lovely!
    Reply
  16. hatgirl says

    September 22, 2006 at 1:08 am

    The pictures are very appealing. Time to make dinner! But I don't think it could be as good as the food items you have in your pictures.
    Reply
  17. Steph says

    September 24, 2006 at 1:43 am

    Hey Nicole, brushetta is one of my new favorites. I love it because it is so light tasting. Well, and I love tomatoes so much. Looks yummy! Steph
    Reply
  18. Al says

    May 16, 2007 at 7:21 pm

    I was recently intruduced to bruschetta, the tast is amazing! I will defintely try your three variations and look forward to visiting your site again. Good job!
    Reply
  19. Peter says

    June 6, 2007 at 2:29 pm

    Your varied Bruschettas (prounounced Bruce-ketta) are all bang on...I love it!
    Reply
  20. bob says

    August 30, 2007 at 9:33 pm

    wow
    Reply
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