Happy Independence Day! I love today. I love waking up early to get to work, in the kitchen. At 8am, I practically ran to the kitchen, hitched on an apron and started boiling, cutting and marinating. Today’s menu was short but fresh and well-seasoned.
We enjoyed:
- Tomato Bruschetta
- Blue-cheese All-Natural Burgers with Balsamic Onions
- Lime-marinated Colossal Shrimp
- Lemon Cilantro Potato Salad
- Butter Lettuce Salad (from my garden!)
- Ginger-Chili-Thyme Smoked Pork Butt (for pulled pork sandwiches tomorrow!)
Recipes for all of these items to come shortly. For now, get a lick of my tomato bruschetta. I used two types of basil and two types of tomatoes, along with finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Tomato Bruschetta
- 8 plum tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 handful of genovese basil, cut into thick strips
- 1 sprinkle of micro-basil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons, lemon juice
- 4 glugs, olive oil (about 5-6 tablespoons)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 french baguette, sliced into rounds
The tomatoes didn’t taste quite like August yet, so I let them sit with some sea salt for a couple hours to pull out the juicy sweetness. I added both basils – the micro-basil came from my backyard pots. (I can’t recall the name of the baby basil, but it’s yummy and slightly thai in aroma.) I also added the garlic, lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper. I never put the mixture into the fridge, letting it sit in a pretty white bowl on the table all morning. I prefer tomatoes at room temperature; they actually taste like tomatoes!
Here’s a view of the two types of basil:
I sliced up the baguette and drizzled a little of garlic oil on top of each slide. The broiler was set and I popped them baguette slices onto a baking sheet and put them fairly close to the flame, leaving my oven open for the few minutes it took to toast. Serve a generous scoop of bruschetta on each slice of baguette, along with your favorite white wine. What do you do with your tomatoes?
Eat Boutique was an award-winning shop and story-driven recipe site created by Maggie Battista – an author, business guide and alignment seeker. After hosting retail markets for 25,000+ guests, Maggie now supports entrepreneurs as they create values-based businesses through We Are Magic Studio. Follow Maggie Battista on Instagram.
