by request

This recipe was requested by the mother of one of my former (all grown-up now) students to be placed on the blog. We made this fresh and full-flavored bruschetta during a summer session several years ago. It thrills me when people put in requests for specific posts. Moms, you know what I mean, every night you have to think of something to feed your family, sometimes it comes to you easily and other times, you struggle. Same here!

The people who request items most often are my own two darling kids. Marissa usually asks for something specific and Connor… well Connor usually wants chocolate or bacon! So to appease him, you have the option of garnishing these tasty toasts with crumbled bacon… there you go Connor, your request was not denied! Oh, and that gorgeous yellow tomato in the picture below… from my garden…I’m just a little proud of it!

Tomato & Fennel Bruschetta

4 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced, fonds reserved for garnish
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
16 slices baguette or Italian bread, cut 3/4-inch-thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and flattened
4 slices crisply cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)

Preheat broiler.  Toss tomatoes, fennel, onion, olive oil, vinegar, and basil together in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet.  Broil until golden brown on both sides.  Transfer bread to a serving plate.  Rub garlic onto hot bread on one side.  Mount tomato mixture atop bread slices sprinkle each with fennel fonds and bacon if desired.

Serves 8