Recipe: Appetizer: Bruschetta

The classic version of bruschetta is simple and hard to beat – rub a slice of garlic over still-warm grilled bread, then drizzle liberally with good quality olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. You’ll be surprised just how tasty this "plain" bruschetta is!

Here are a few other bruschetta toppings -- all are meant to top toasts that have already been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. You might want to use slightly less of the oil, salt and pepper than you would if you were serving the bruschetta plain.

Green Olive Tapenade:
Place 1 cup pitted green olives, 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, two chopped garlic cloves, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, and generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper in a food processor. Process to a coarse puree. Add additional olive oil if necessary to make the tapenade spreadable. Taste for seasoning – you may like additional lemon juice, anchovy paste, and/or black pepper. Top bruschetta with a dollop of tapenade. Can add a small piece of preserved lemon as a garnish, if desired.

Mushroom & Parsley:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with 2 teaspoons butter in a large sauté pan. Add about a pound of finely chopped mushrooms (can use whatever kind you like, including rehydrated dried mushrooms), 2 minced garlic cloves, a pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are cooked down and browned – about 5-10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley. Let cool to room temperature before topping bruschetta.

Tomato & Basil:
Chop vine-ripened summer tomatoes and drain slightly. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tear fresh basil leaves and mix into tomatoes. Top bruschetta.

Goat Cheese & Tomato Sauce:
Spoon about 1 cup of your favorite store-bought tomato pasta sauce into a fine mesh strainer. Let the juices strain out for a few minutes so sauce won’t make bread soggy. Top bruschetta with a teaspoon or so of sauce, then crumble or slice fresh goat cheese on top of the tomato sauce. Run bruschetta under a broiler briefly to warm goat cheese.

White Bean, Sage & Prosciutto:
Drain and rinse one 19-ounce can of cannellini beans. Either mash to a coarse puree with a fork or puree in a food processor or blender. Add one teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, about 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, and coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of bean mixture on each bruschetta and top with a bit of prosciutto.

Wine Skinny Match: All of these recipes are easily paired with a juicy, light- or medium-bodied red wine, like a Chianti Classico or inexpensive Merlot.

(Quick Entertaining, jun 2003)