see, my mother in law (hi barb!) flew in last weekend, just in time for the fourth festivities.
before she got out of the car, she had a present for me. she hand carried about half a dozen fresh picked tomatoes from tulsa, through detriot, and into rochester. otherwise they would have went to waste.
they sat on the counter for a solid day while i debated what to make. salsa? nah, not in the mood. pasta sauce? too much work. freeze them? can them? stuff them? nothing sounded all that exciting until it hit me.
i'm not a huge fan of straight up raw tomatoes. my mother eats them with salt sprinkled on them. for me, i need something more.
when i was a teenager, i remember my dad making a pseudo bruschetta dip for crusty italian bread. i remember the two of us dunking bread, tomato juices running down our arms to our elbows. i had only one glitch: dad's in ireland - dodging sheep with his car and swapping our humid 95+ degree days for a cool 60 degrees - so i'd have to wing this one on my own.
it's a very close cousin to bruschetta. where bruschetta tends to have big, chunky pieces of tomato and is relatively dry, this dip is wet and the tomatoes are pretty crushed. whatever you do, don't skip the salt. it really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. the basil is definitely optional and it's surprising how much the taste changes when you add it.
i'm not a huge fan of straight up raw tomatoes. my mother eats them with salt sprinkled on them. for me, i need something more.
when i was a teenager, i remember my dad making a pseudo bruschetta dip for crusty italian bread. i remember the two of us dunking bread, tomato juices running down our arms to our elbows. i had only one glitch: dad's in ireland - dodging sheep with his car and swapping our humid 95+ degree days for a cool 60 degrees - so i'd have to wing this one on my own.
it's a very close cousin to bruschetta. where bruschetta tends to have big, chunky pieces of tomato and is relatively dry, this dip is wet and the tomatoes are pretty crushed. whatever you do, don't skip the salt. it really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. the basil is definitely optional and it's surprising how much the taste changes when you add it.
kinda bruschetta dip
15 minutes, makes 2 cups
4 medium-large fresh from the garden tomatoes
~1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 gloves garlic, finely minced
8-10 basil leaves, finely minced
good glug - about a tablespoon - of olive oil
- finely dice the tomatoes. place a good scoop in the palm of your hand and lightly squeeze out some of the liquid. don't get it all out, but get most of it. you don't want tomato soup. repeat with the rest of the tomato.
- mix the salt into the tomato and let it sit while mincing the garlic and basil.
- mix in the garlic, basil, and olive oil.
- enjoy with crusty bread.
Well Kate you almost nailed it. Double the garlic, triple the olive oil and make sure it's a really good Italian extra virgin, add a couple of twists of course ground black pepper and a pinch of hot pepper flakes and you've got it!
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