QUING Parties at the Palace with BRUSCHETTA

I couldn't wait anymore.  To make (and devour) my all-time favorite, simple, luscious, healthy, gorgeous treat.

BRUSCHETTA.

Lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer, mood-enhancer - bruschetta does it all.  Every time I make it, I dream about living an uncomplicated, earthy life in the Tuscan countryside; baking bread, tending to my gardens, drinking wine, and gabbing with near century-old neighbors who sing, gossip, and curse in Italian; all the while teaching me how to make their secret family recipes.

Yes, bruschetta transforms from delicious to sublime when I tug sun-ripened Roma tomatoes off vines in my backyard, rinse, chop and mix.  Or when I purchase such Romas from our local farmers' market in July and August.

But the tomatoes I purchased today - from a grocery store that sells top-notch produce - were acceptable. Buy yourself a dozen, plus a bunch of basil, a red onion and some garlic, and begin experimenting with your own bruschetta.  By the time vine-ripened tomatoes are available in your neighborhood mid-summer, you'll be a Bruschetta Master.

Loved, worshiped, and adored.   Right, Annie?  GUSTARE!

BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic - 1 sliced, 2 finely minced
8-10 medium-sized Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10-12 basil leaves, slivered
1/2 -3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 Baguette; white or whole wheat

DIRECTIONS:

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic, and heat until golden brown.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Toss onion, minced garlic, tomatoes, basil, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt into a medium sized bowl. Drizzle with half a tablespoon of the warm olive oil. Toss to combine, and taste, adding more basil, salt, or pepper if needed. Cover with saran wrap and let sit for an hour. 

Slice the baguette into diagonal slices, a half inch in thickness. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil a minute or two under high heat, until bread is lightly browned.  Remove from the oven, and flip the bread over (using a fork or metal tongs.) Remove the browned garlic slices from the heated olive oil with a slotted spoon, and discard. Brush the soft side of the baguette slices with the warm oil, then arrange on a platter, oiled side up.  

To serve, carefully drain water from the tomato mixture. Stir once, and spoon generously over the slices of bread.