Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Pesto Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 sourdough baguette (sliced into thin rounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 tomatoes (diced)
1 handful fresh basil leaves (chopped)
1 clove garlic (grated)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup store bought or homemade pesto

Directions:

Lay out the slices of bread on a baking tray. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is hot, TURN IT OFF, and place the bread/baking tray in the warm oven for approximately 10 min. This process will dry out the bread.
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Mix grated garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
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Remove the dry bread pieces from the oven and brush (or spray) one side of the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper over the bread and return to the oven. Re-heat oven to 350 degrees and cook the bread pieces until they are toasted. This process will take approx 2-4 minutes. Watch the oven closely as dry bread pieces will toast very quickly.

Remove toasted bread from the oven and spread a thin layer of pesto over the bread. Top bread with tomato mixture and serve.
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Ingredients For Homemade Pesto:

1 bunch fresh basil (approx 2 cups of leaves)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic (chopped)

Place garlic in a food processor and pulse till finely chopped. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add extra olive oil or a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Leftover pesto freezes well.

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