Everyone is craving this bruschetta dish in our household, so I’m reposting the recipe. There are tomatoes on the vine, it’s hot and I don’t want to cook. This is a perfect dinner. Just this.
From our 2020 post:
At some point you have to stop eating BLT’s and utilize the abundance of tomatoes for something a little lighter. This dish is one that I started making 20 years ago. It’s a total crowd pleaser. Very easy to pull together and tastes even better the next day!
HEIRLOOM TOMATO GREEN OLIVE BRUSCHETTA
with fresh Mozzarella and Organic Basil
INGREDIENTS
- 10 – 12 heirloom tomatoes (preferably different colors if you have them)
- 1 C fennel bulb. diced (if you are not a fennel fan, this can be omitted)
- 1-1/4 C green olives with pimentos, sliced
- 1-1/2 C fresh mozzarella, diced
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 C fresh organic basil leaves, chiffonade cut
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBSP cracked black pepper
- 1 – 2 LOAVES fresh ciabatta, sliced and toasted
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (tomatoes through black pepper), transfer to serving bowl and let stand for at least one hour so flavors really marry well. Thickly slice ciabatta and toast. This is a very juicy dish, so you need a good foundation to hold up to the juicy goodness. If you don’t have ciabatta, any good artisan loaf will do fine ~ but it does need to be toasted. Please note: you don’t want to salt this dish. The olives have plenty of salt and any additional salt tends to break down the tomatoes too much. You can pre-assemble the bruschetta for immediate eating OR surround the serving bowl with toasted bread and let everyone assemble their own.
If you end up with extra of the tomato mixture, here are some ideas for utilizing every single drop:
- Great for a summer pasta dish!
- Top your breakfast eggs or omelettes with a few tablespoons
- Really good on top of grilled fish or chicken.
- Add to wraps or sandwiches – like ridiculously good as a BLT condiment!!!