Double Tomato Bruschetta

Last night I made dinner for some friends as part of our campus ministry's silent auction fundraiser.  (They "bought" me for a family dinner.)  I made bruschetta appetizers, lasagna with salad and garlic bread, and a chocolate peanut butter delight dessert.  The meal was very well received, and I would venture a guess that the favorite things were the bruschetta and the dessert.

Then it occurred to me that you might like some of those recipes.

But first, there are some things that you need to know:
1.  How do you pronounce "bruschetta?"  Most people combine the "sch" for a "sh" sound.  You should know that in Italy the "sch" is pronounced like "sk."  So it would be like "brusketta."  I understand if you don't have the guts to really call it that.  People will correct you and you'll feel like a dweeb.  But at least now you know.
2.  Bruschetta was originally developed as a way to salvage bread that was going stale.  That a great idea for this recipe!  Any time you find yourself with leftover baguette, that's the time to surprise your date with this fancy-pancy recipe that makes you look like a kitchen superstar.

Photo Source: www.yummly.com

Double Tomato Bruschetta
Makes 16 individual servings.  Serves about 10.

6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (tip below)
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (tip below)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 french baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper.  Let this sit on the counter for up to 4 hours.  Meanwhile, slice the baguette into 3/4 inch thick slices.  Broil for about 1 minute on each side until baguette slices are lightly browned.  Top each slice with a generous dollop of the tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Broil for 3-5 more minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

[Tip for Seeding and Chopping Tomatoes:  There are two great ways to do this.  Option one, you can core the tomatoes; then cut them in half.  Dig your (clean) finger through the seeds to loosen them; and then chop the now seeded tomatoes.  Or option two, you could chop the tomatoes, seeds and all, and place them in a colander to drain.  Personally, I use option one if I am only chopping one or two tomatoes; I use option two for a recipe such as this one, where I am chopping many tomatoes.]

[Balsamic Vinegar Tip: Balsamic Vinegar is an amazing ingredient that can run between $3 and $20 in the grocery store - or even more in a specialty shop.  The expensive stuff tastes absolutely amazing.  But don't use it here.  For basic dressings and for this recipe the $3 grocery store balsamic vinegar will work fine.  I like Target's Alessi brand the best.]

Lots of cooking tips and more recipes to come this week!