Not Your Average Bruschetta
/Warning: Lots of scandalous switch-ups and additions here! I have loved bruschetta all my life as it has three of my most favorite things in whole wide world - fresh tomatoes, cheese and a solid crusty bread. Hence, I’m quite particular about maintaining the purity of the classic while upping the umami game. The aromatic dressing is what makes it unique, feel free to re-purpose it in other summer salads too! Skip the bread, put a burrata on a bed of these dressed up tomatoes and you have a reimagined caprese salad. As you can sense from my pushy tone, this summer I urge you to make this at least once.
*Note: The quality of ingredients is truly what differentiates an exemplary bruschetta from a regular one, so make sure to use top quality oil, good seasonal toms, fresh herbs (instead of dried bottles ones) and of course a nice baguette or sourdough with a satisfying chew!
Ingredients (makes enough for 8-10 pieces)
Dressing
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
3 tbsp Fresh Oregano Leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tbsp Fennel Seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tsp Ground Allspice Berries
1 tsp Coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tsp Hot pepper Flakes, more to finish
2.5 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp Lemon Zest
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
Tomato Prep
350-370g (about 2 cups) mix of Cherry and Heirloom Tomatoes, diced
8-10g Sweet Basil Leaves, finely chopped
1.5 tsp BalsamicVinegar
1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
40g combination of Grated Parmesan and Gruyère in your preferred ratio (if you don’t find Gruyère or looking for a pasteurized cheese alternative then you can use Fontina or Emmental or else you can just use 40g good quality Parmesan)
8-10 Slices of Baguettes (the ones here in photo are from Middlebrow Bakery)
Couple tablespoons of Olive Oil for Toasting
Directions
🍅 In a small heatproof bowl - combine garlic, chopped oregano leaves, fennel, allspice berries, coriander and hot pepper flakes. Microwave Olive Oil for 2 mins (or until shimmering) in 30 sec bursts, then immediately pour the oil into bowl. Give everything a good mix and let it come to room temperature. Then add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and sugar into the aromatic oil, give it a good mix. Keep it aside for at least 15 mins so that the flavors meld properly
🍅 In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt and cheeses. Transfer the cooled aromatic oil into this bowl and mix gently until everything is well combined. Adjust seasoning if required
🍅 Heat up a skillet (preferably a cast iron one), brush the baguette slices with some olive oil, and lightly toast in batches (avoid over crowding the pan). Spoon the dressed tomato mixture on each toast and finish with more hot pepper flakes (optional). Serve some really good quality extra virgin olive oil on the side so that whoever wants the oomph can drizzle some on top before popping one into their mouth.
*Skip the cheese or use Vegan alternative to Parmesan to keep this Vegan
