Cheese
Bruschetta Caprese
- Serves 6
Author Notes
This is a cross between the traditional Caprese salad and a Margherita Pizza. Use fresh produce, good Italian bread and you have a really easy meal.
Obviously these are at their best done just before eating but there is a really magical thing about this recipe - you can do ahead everything until step 7, freeze and have them ready at any time. Just take out of the freezer, add the tomato and cheese and you’re all done!
I don’t particularly like using microwave ovens but if you aren’t picky about using them, then you can do a whole batch of these bruchettas, totally finished, and put them in a microwave and there you have a meal ready in 2 minutes.
Also, you can make them in any size, big sourdough slice or little ones for party bites, your call!
—Maria Teresa Jorge
Ingredients
-
6 to 12
Italian bread slices (depends on the size of your bread)
-
1 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oli
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1 tablespoon
dry oregano
-
salt
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1
garlic clove
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1/2 cup
ready tomato Tomato and Basil Sauce, I like the Barilla one
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4
vine-ripened tomato, sliced
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2
balls of shredded fresh mozzarella
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1/4 cup
shredded Emmenthal Cheese
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1/4 cup
shredded fresh Basil leaves
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3
Cherry Tomatoes, halved for decoration
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6
fresh leaves of basil for decoration
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil to drizzle
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350º with a metal tray inside so it warms up.
- Shred the mozzarella and leave in a sieve to remove as much water as possible.
- Slice the tomatoes and put in a sieve to get rid of any extra vegetation water.
- Shred the basil leaves with your fingers so they don't turn black from the blade of a knife.
- In a bowl mix the olive oil with the oregano and salt.
- Cut the garlic in half so you have a flat surface to work with.
- VERY lightly rub one side of the toasted bread with garlic and generously brush with the olive oil and oregano mixture. Put back in the oven for 3 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and baste with the Tomato and Pesto sauce, cover with tomato slices, sprinkle with a little salt, thinly shredded basil leaves, put the sliced tomatoes, cover with shredded mozzarella, the shredded Emmenthal, drizzle with a little Olive Oil and put back in the oven until mozzarella melts and becomes light golden colour.
- Plate the Bruschettas, add half a cherry tomato, 2 basil leaves, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and serve immediately. Nice with a salad.
- Note: If you want to make life even easier, use powder garlic in the oregano olive oil mixture and you can save yourself some time. Just don’t overdo the garlic powder.
- Note 2 – Want a little kick on your bruschettas, add some chilli flakes to the olive oil oregano mixture!
- Note 3 - If you find scamorza, a dry mozzarella, it works better as it has no water and doesn't sogg up the bread as much.
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