bruschetta

October – Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella
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October – Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Late fall and winter are my favorite seasons of the year. I know it’s unusual, but I love the rain. I probably wouldn’t feel the same way if I had to deal with snow and freezing weather. But, I’m lucky enough to live in a place where the temperatures rarely get below 35 degrees F. I do miss the wonderful fresh ripe tomatoes of summer though.

In most places cherry tomatoes are available 12 months of the year, and with a little doctoring they can be quite delicious even in the dead of winter.

This is the perfect way to perk them up. Add a little pesto and mozzarella and you’ll swear it’s late August.

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon capers
  • 10 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
  • Crushed red chili flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Slices of mozzarella or a ball of burrata
  • Pesto
  • Baguettes, halved and toasted

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, capers, anchovies, a pinch of chili flakes, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and rest on the countertop (if serving immediately) or in the refrigerator for 8 hours or up to overnight. Bring to room temperature before preparing.
  2. Top each toasted bread slice with a smear of pesto, a slice of mozzarella, and some of the tomato salad.
  3. Or, top the bread with tomato salad and a piece of burrata.
  4. Garnish with microgreens of some chopped basil, if available.

With a glass of wine you would swear it was still summer.

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Burrata

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Marinated Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella

I think the folks at Fiesta Friday will enjoy these, something to keep in their back pocket to cheer up a dark day in February. This week is Fiesta Friday #453, come on over and join Angie and the gang at this virtual blogging party.

April in the Kitchen – Carmelized Onion, Roast Cherry Tomatoes, and Curry on Toast
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April in the Kitchen – Carmelized Onion, Roast Cherry Tomatoes, and Curry on Toast

Tomato bruschetta is one of my favorite summer dishes. I serve it as a starter with drinks, or as dinner itself if there is some good fresh mozzarella or ricotta involved. Unfortunately,  tomato season is still a few months away, it lags sadly behind BBQ season. I am mentally ready for those tomatoes. I want them for a hamburger, or a fresh tomato sauce for pasta, or a caprese salad with mozzarella. But, the ones in the market are currently flavorless and mostly disappointing. Even the tomatoes at the farmer’s market were raised in a hot house. My mouth is set for the first dry farmed Early Girls from the Watsonville area. They are grown without any additional water once past the seedling stage. All the flavor is concentrated, oh my they are so good. Well, enough moaning about what I can’t have.

What is there and what can I do? Ok then, I will settle for cherry tomatoes. And roasting them both brings out the sweetness and intensifies the essence of tomato.

Here is a recipe you can serve now, with pride before an outdoor BBQ, while waiting for the first tomatoes of summer (don’t forget a glass of rose). This is an adaptation of a classic mid-summer bruschetta, made with roast cherry tomatoes. The recipe comes from the cookbook “The Fat Radish, Kitchen Diaries“.

Cherry tomato bruschetta with carmelized onions and curry sauce

Cherry tomato bruschetta with carmelized onions and curry sauce

Onion, Tomato, and Curry on Toast

  • Olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes of mixed colors
  • Coarse salt
  • 8 thick slices of toasted country bread or sourdough
  • 1/2 cup curry sauce (recipe below)
  • Small handful of torn basil and cilantro leaves
  1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy skillet set over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well caramelized, be patient as it could take an hour or more. Remove them to a small bowl to cool.
    Sliced Yellow Onions
    Carmelized Onions
  3. Place the tomatoes in a roasting pan and coat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Roast, stirring now and then, until soft, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

    Roast Cherry Tomatoes

    Roast Cherry Tomatoes

  4. To serve, divide the warm onions and tomatoes over the toast. Drizzle each toast with a tablespoon of the Curry Sauce and top with fresh herbs.
  5. Serve immediately.
Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Curry Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 apple, peeled and cored, thinly sliced
  • 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, pelled and minced
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf (or zest and juice from a 1 lime, added at the end)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can of unsweetened coconut milk
  • Coarse salt
  1. Place the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, apple, ginger, lime leaf, curry powder, and turmeric. Cook, stirring now and then, until softened, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, then lover the heat and simmer another 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
  3. Remove the lime leaf and puree the sauce in a standard blender or an immersion blender. (Add the lime juice and zest if you did not have a kaffir lime leaf.)

    Curry Sauce

    Curry Sauce

  4. Season with salt.

This recipe makes quite a bit of curry sauce. I used the remainder as a sauce with a simple roast chicken. It will last for a few days in the fridge.

Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

I’m taking this to share with Angie at Fiesta Friday #64. Each week the food, recipes and pictures are more amazing!

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

April in the Kitchen – Roast Garlic and Chard Bruschetta
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April in the Kitchen – Roast Garlic and Chard Bruschetta

I think of bruschetta as a summer dish, but it is also perfect for other time of the year if you vary the toppings. We’ve had some very warm weather and my chard is bolting. I’m trying to harvest as much as possible before all is lost, but I think it is almost over for this batch that was planted last fall. As with last year, we’ve had an unseasonably warm spring. I need the garden space for tomatoes, always an iffy crop here in Northern California. The last two summers have been warm and I’ve been successful with the smaller varieties, cherry tomatoes also do very well. If it’s a foggy summer I make green tomato chutney in the late fall, some years they don’t ripen at all.

Chard and Roast Garlic Bruschetta

Chard and Roast Garlic Bruschetta

Back to the chard, this bruschetta is a delicious way to highlight the vegetable. Kale or even spinach would also be good prepared this way. Lightly cook the greens to ensure they are still vibrant.

Bruschetta with Roast Garlic and Swiss Chard

  • 1 head of garlic, top 1/4 inch cut off to expose the individual cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon (non-waxed organic)
  • 1/4 cup of softened butter
  • Freshly ground pepper and sea salt
  • 1 bunch of Swiss chard, washed, dried, stemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 country loaf, sourdough preferred, thickly sliced and toasted
  • Red pepper flakes
Bruschetta

Bruschetta

  1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Cut a piece of foil large enough to enclose the head of garlic, drizzle the garlic with olive oil, close the foil tightly, and bake for about 40 minutes until the cloves are soft.
  3. Cool the garlic to room temperature, then mix with the softened butter, zest and juice of the lemon, salt and pepper. Use a fork to mash it together.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on high heat.
  5. Add the chard to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  6. When ready to serve, spread the toast with the garlic butter and top each with some chard, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Roast Garlic and Chard Bruschetta

Roast Garlic and Chard Bruschetta

This recipe is adapted from “The Fat Radish Kitchen Diaries“.

I’m taking this bruschetta to Fiesta Friday #64 to share with Angie and the gang.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday