I think it's been too long since bruschetta has gotten the attention it deserves. This is more than just tomatoes on toast, this is the star. Here are 3 easy bruschetta recipes that anyone can make, and they’re going to forever change the way you think about tomatoes.
Classic Bruschetta
Large sliced rustic bread
75g diced tomato per serving (roughly one small to medium tomato)
Diced Pancetta - just enough for flavoring
Basil
Garlic clove
Lemon zest
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive Oil
The first bruschetta recipe here is going to be a play on the classic version we all know. The tomatoes in classic bruschetta are usually so flavorless and watery that no matter what they’re paired with, it’s gonna taste sad. If you get those right, the basil and olive oil can sing along with the sweet acidity of the tomatoes. In our case, that’s gonna be 75g amount of great tasting tomato per serving. If you want good tasting bruschetta, you’ve got to pick a tomato that’s full of flavor. If it’s late summer, get some beautiful heirloom varietals, if it’s February, just use nice cherry tomatoes. Chop these into a smaller dice and place in a bowl. Season these with salt, pepper, and a good tasting olive oil.
Add your diced pancetta to a cold pan with just enough water to barely cover the pieces and set the heat to medium. As this heats up, the fat will render, and the pancetta will have enough time to cook through and crisp up without any of the residue burning. Once the pieces of pork are crispy, you can remove them from the pan and add in 2 slices of a rustic loaf. The bread is going to soak up the beautiful pork fat and fry up into something really really special. You could totally toast the bread in the oven if you’re making this for a bunch of people, but fried bread is one of the most delicious things in the world. When your bread is crispy on both sides, remove it and rub it slightly with a garlic clove.
Spoon your seasoned tomatoes and olive oil onto the toasted bread. Place the pancetta on top of the tomatoes and the top it with a few pieces of fresh basil. The last step is important, as everything so far has been salt, fat, and sweet. To balance this, add some lemon zest. Just enough to wake up those taste buds before you get all of the umami from the tomatoes. This is the way you need to be building your classic bruschetta. Everything exists to highlight a different flavor within the tomato, and the basil is just a classic for a reason.
Smokey Poblano Bruschetta
Large sliced rustic bread
75g diced tomato per serving (roughly one small to medium tomato)
150g plain greek yogurt
1 avocado
1 jalapeño
Juice of half a lime
Cilantro
50g frozen corn
1 poblano pepper
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Dice your tomato and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set this aside for now. Take a small container about 150g of unflavored greek yogurt and add it to a blender. To that, add in one avocado, one jalapeno (with the seeds if you want it spicy), a bunch of cilantro, the juice of half a lime and a lot of kosher salt. This acidic crema is there to bring a nice contrast flavor to the sweet juicy tomatoes, and avocado and tomatoes are a match made in heaven. Taste this for salt levels and adjust as needed.
To make the charred poblano, take a washed poblano and hold it over the flames of your stove (or place it under the broiler) until the skin is charred and blackened all over. Place your charred poblano in a bowl then cover it with plastic wrap so the insides can steam. This takes around 10 minutes to cool down enough to handle. Remove the skin from the pepper by scraping it with a paper towel or just the back of your knife. Cut the top off, remove the seeds and then dice the pepper. Honestly, I prefer these to be pretty small, I don’t want a massive hunk of anything on my bruschetta. Season this dice with a big pinch of salt and that’s the smokey element taken care of.
Toss a little frozen corn into a hot skillet with some oil and salt for a really quick corn topping. Toast your bread in a pan with some oil, or under the broiler. Lay on the seasoned tomatoes and then dot the poblanos around the tomatoes. Add a few small dallops of crema then scatter your corn on top. Top this with cilantro and flakey salt and you’re ready to dig in. In my opinion, this isn’t too far away from the classic bruschetta, it has the same brightness, sweetness and freshness, just with a very different coat of paint. It’s super delicious, and really approachable .
Ginger, Fish Sauce, and Chile Bruschetta
Large sliced rustic bread
75g diced tomato per serving (roughly one small to medium tomato)
5g fish sauce
Small knob of ginger
3 fresno chiles
10g rice vinegar
5g sugar
2 shallots
Lime zest
Cilantro ;)
Thinly slice 3 fresno chiles (this makes enough for a couple of batches) and add them to a pot with a little olive oil and salt. Cook these over medium for a few minutes, basically until they’re softened and the oil begins turning red from the chiles. Add in 10g of rice vinegar and 5g of white sugar then mix to dissolve. Turn off the heat and cover them so the peppers can absorb some of the sugar and vinegar.
Dice your tomatoes into large chunks, that way they don't cook down too quickly. Finely mince 1 small knob of ginger (about the size of a garlic clove). In a pot over medium, add a touch of oil and then add the tomatoes and ginger. To that, add 5g of fish sauce, and let this cook for 5-10 minutes, basically until they just barely begin to break down. These are still going to be fresh, just slightly infused with brightness from the ginger and salt from the fish sauce. Remove these from the heat and let them cool. This gives you time to make the fried shallots.
Start by peeling and thinly slicing two shallots. To a pot or a skillet, add the smallest layer of oil necessary to get the shallots covered, and begin heating over medium. If you want to test the oil for correct temp, just barely dip the end of a piece in, if they begin to sizzle, you’re good to add them all. Let these cook for a few minutes until they just barely begin to take on a bit of browning. When shallots have a brown color, they taste really burnt, so cook these less than you think. They cook so fast and continue to crisp up as they cool. Season these with salt when they come out.
Toast your bread in some of the shallot oil for extra credit, but you can just do it under the broiler if you don't feel like frying it.
For the building process, take your toast and top it with the supercharged ginger tomato mix. Place your chilies on top, as little or as many as you’d like. Add a sprinkle of the fried shallot. Lime zest here, and then place on some cilantro to really tie the flavors together. This may be a little divisive, but I think it’s delicious. This tastes like a fancy version you’d see in an upscale restaurant. Reminiscent of the classic bruschetta in appearance, but the flavors are completely different.
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