Beautiful Bruschetta

The natural beauty of Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

During my research on the healthy benefits of garlic I came across an article on Medical Herbalism that contained a recipe for a garlic cocktail one could make and drink.  The cocktail contained the same ingredients that one would use to make a salad dressing, and while it seemed like it would be a reasonably palatable thing to drink, I would still rather eat foods than drink them.  The article stated that raw garlic when blended with water, olive oil, vinegar and alcohol seemed to make it considerably more beneficial to ones health by drawing out certain constituents contained in garlic.

Bruschetta came to my mind and made with fresh garlic, olive oil and aged Balsamic vinegar it contained most of the ingredients in the cocktail list.  I decided that sipping a nice glass of wine with it would cover the alcohol part.  Now while these ingredients weren’t necessarily blended into a health drink, I figured consuming them this way couldn’t hurt either.

After a couple of  ‘medicinal’ (*wink, wink*) glasses of local wine along with a plateful of toasted baguette slices heaped with fresh Bruschetta I can assure you I was feeling very well, thank you very much!From the bright red of ripe tomatoes, the heady aroma of fresh, lush basil and the exotic sweet taste of crushed garlic, one is enchanted.  The addition of olive oil and a good aged Balsamic vinegar marry every scent and flavor together  into a thing of beauty.  Toast it with a tasty wine and you have a snack or meal made in heaven!

Fresh Bruschetta

6 Roma tomatoes, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped fine and crushed

3 large leaves of fresh basil, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 loaf of French bread, large or baguette size, cut 1/2-inch thick

shaved Mozzarella slices, cut to fit bread slices

About one hour before serving, combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir gently and allow the mixture to stand at room temperature, stirring once or twice. Add salt and pepper to taste  if necessary.

Toast the bread slices in the oven under the broiler until lightly browned. Top with the thin slices of mozzarella cheese, returning to the oven to melt the cheese if necessary.  Top the toasted bread and cheese pieces with the tomato mixture and serve.

Bruschetta is a wonderful recipe to adjust to your taste, just change up the amount of garlic and basil to your liking.  Don’t toss out the sauce from the bowl, it makes a great salad dressing, or snack when soaked up with a piece of fresh bread!

Enjoy!

Good Day and Good Eats!

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