grilled bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes

I’m sure you’ve all seen the cover for the July/August edition of Martha Stewart Living in either a book store or your grocery store. If you’ve seen it, then you know why I just had to run out and make up this bread. I opened up my mailbox last week and saw the cover showcasing this beautiful assortment of heirloom tomatoes on top of this toasted bread. I immediately went to the grocery store, bought me some heirlooms and made this up for lunch. I have to say that I was in food heaven. This bread is crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside from the juicy heirlooms and olive oil. The crunchy sea salt and fresh basil just give it another punch of flavor and texture. John and I split half a loaf up for lunch one day and paired it with my lacinato kale salad and drumsticks another night for dinner. I also brought this to a friend’s house and served it up as an appetizer. Let’s just say it was a hit with everyone. It’s truly the perfect summer bruschetta!

I cut Martha’s original recipe in half and only used the bottom half of the ciabatta bread instead of the whole loaf, (don’t fret, we used the other half for toast and jam the next morning) so feel free to double the quantities in the recipe if you’re serving a larger crowd.

grilled bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes:

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living
The below recipe is for 1/2 loaf, which is perfect as a side dish for 4-6 people or lunch for two people – If you’re serving a larger crowd and want to use the whole loaf of bread, then just double the quantities below.

• 1/2 of a large, long rustic Italian loaf, such as ciabatta – you can really use any type of loaf bread here
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil – I didn’t measure my olive oil as I just drizzled some on from the bottle
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
• coarse sea salt to taste
• optional – splash of balsamic vinegar to top

Let’s start by prepping the ingredients. Wash and thinly slice up your tomatoes, peel and cut your garlic clove in half, take your basil leaves, roll them up together and then slice them into thin strips. Take your loaf of bread and slice it horizontally to create 2 long halves. I always use the bottom half for my bread because it’s flat, but if you need to use the top half, then you will want to trim off a bit from the top of the loaf to make it a bit flatter.

Pre-heat your grill to high heat.

Grill the bread 1 to 2 minutes on each side until moderately charred or browned to your liking. If you don’t feel like firing up the grill, you can always try toasting the bread under your broiler. I haven’t tried this, but I’m sure it works just the same.

Take the cut side of each garlic half and rub it along the top and bottom of your bread.  The grilled bread sort of acts like a grater and grates the clove. Make sure to rub the garlic along the top edges of the bread as well.

Pour any accumulated juices from your sliced tomatoes over the top of the bread.

Drizzle half of the 1/4 cup of olive oil over the bread, and use a brush if desired to get the olive oil into all of those nooks and crannies. Feel free to add a pinch of sea salt as well.

The bread is now ready for the sliced tomatoes.

Arrange the tomatoes by color making sure to cover the entire surface of the bread.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle on the sliced basil and season with the coarse sea salt. Isn’t that bread just gorgeous?

Cut the tomato bread into slices and top each slice with some balsamic vinegar if desired. The bread tastes perfectly without the balsamic, but I thought I would give you the option incase you’re a fan of balsamic vinegar.

Seriously, this bread is super tasty and super easy to prepare. It’s a great bread to serve up for dinner or lunch, just pair it with a nice kale salad and you have yourself an easy no fuss dinner.

grilled bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes

 

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The below recipe is for ½ loaf, which is perfect as a side dish for 4-6 people or lunch for two people - If you're serving a larger crowd and want to use the whole loaf of bread, then just double the quantities below.

Ingredients

• ½ of a large, long rustic Italian loaf, such as ciabatta - you can really use any type of loaf bread here
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil - I didn't measure my olive oil as I just drizzled some on from the bottle
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
• coarse sea salt to taste
• optional - splash of balsamic vinegar to top

Instructions

1. Let's start by prepping the ingredients. Wash and thinly slice up your tomatoes, peel and cut your garlic clove in half, take your basil leaves, roll them up together and then slice them into thin strips. Take your loaf of bread and slice it horizontally to create 2 long halves. I always use the bottom half for my bread because it's flat, but if you need to use the top half, then you will want to trim off a bit from the top of the loaf to make it a bit flatter.
2. Pre-heat your grill to high heat.
3. Grill the bread 1 to 2 minutes on each side until moderately charred or browned to your liking. If you don't feel like firing up the grill, you can always try toasting the bread under your broiler. I haven't tried this, but I'm sure it works just the same.
4. Take the cut side of each garlic half and rub it along the top and bottom of your bread. The grilled bread sort of acts like a grater and grates the clove. Make sure to rub the garlic along the top edges of the bread as well.
5. Pour any accumulated juices from your sliced tomatoes over the top of the bread.
6. Drizzle half of the ¼ cup of olive oil over the bread, and use a brush if desired to get the olive oil into all of those nooks and crannies. Feel free to add a pinch of sea salt as well.
7. The bread is now ready for the sliced tomatoes.
8. Arrange the tomatoes by color making sure to cover the entire surface of the bread.
9. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle on the sliced basil and season with the coarse sea salt.
10. Cut the tomato bread into slices and top each slice with some balsamic vinegar if desired. The bread tastes perfectly without the balsamic, but I thought I would give you the option incase you're a fan of balsamic vinegar.
11. Seriously, this bread is super tasty and super easy to prepare. It's a great bread to serve up for dinner or lunch, just pair it with a nice kale salad and you have yourself an easy no fuss dinner.

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