What Is Bruschetta?
To really give you a good answer about the origins of classic Italian bruschetta, we turned to not one, but two doyennes of Italian cuisine—Marcella Hazan (of course! You always start with Marcella) and Elizabeth David. In her indispensable book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan explains the etymology of bruschetta—which, in turn, explains the dish at its most basic. “...the verb bruscare, which means to toast (as in a slice of bread) or roast (as with coffee beans); hence bruschetta, whose most important component, aside from the grilled bread itself, is olive oil.” So! Elizabeth David also references the importance of olive oil in the classic, most simple bruschetta recipe—specifically she describes bruschetta as a dish that celebrates olive oil in regions where it is made, like Tuscany and Umbria. In harvest season, when olive oil is newly pressed, grassy and vibrant and fresh, making a meal of the simplest bruschetta— toasted bread, dressed generously with that fresh, newly pressed olive oil—is a classic and beloved tradition that Hazan calls “as old as Rome itself”. Garlic is often rubbed on the bread, and tomatoes are another favorite topping, but true Italian bruschetta can be as basic as crisp toasted bread and really good olive oil. Of course, this particular bruschetta recipe takes that wonderful base—toasted bread and olive oil—and adds fresh cherry tomatoes at their ripe, bursting peak, and a little creamy avocado to tie it all together.
Just 9 Easy Bruschetta Ingredients, and Almost No Oven Time
So, we’ve taken a few liberties with bruschetta toppings, but not really swapping anything in for the classic bruschetta ingredients. Instead, we took those classic ingredients and built upon them to make something like bruschetta plus. That said, we haven’t gone crazy. This recipe is still really easy, really quick and barely requires you to turn on your oven—a few minutes under the broiler, and that’s it! So, even in the midst of summer when the cherry tomatoes are perfectly ripe and you’re craving bruschetta, this recipe will keep you cool as a cucumber. Just some slicing and dicing, and the bruschetta is served! Here’s everything you’ll need to make our fresh avocado and cherry tomato bruschetta recipe:
Baguette
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Fresh garlic
Cherry tomatoes
White balsamic vinegar (you could use regular balsamic if that’s what you have. It will just darken the tomatoes a bit.)
Avocados
Lemon juice
Basil
How Do You Keep Bruschetta From Getting Soggy?
Good question, internet! Because soggy bruschetta is exactly the opposite of what we’re here for. And now that you know all about the history of bruschetta being rooted in the word bruscare, you know that it’s essential that the bread is toasted and crisp. But, tomatoes are juicy and that juice just loves to make bread soggy—even toasted bread is no match for juicy, ripe tomatoes! So what’s the solution? Well, two things work together to make this particular tomato bruschetta recipe decidedly un-soggy!
Using cherry tomatoes! They’re not quite as juicy as big, ripe, peak-summer tomatoes, so we think they’re better suited for bruschetta.
Seeding the cherry tomatoes! All the best bruschetta recipes will tell you to seed tomatoes—usually they’re using regular sized tomatoes, but the same goes for cherry tomatoes—and then salt them and drain them in a colander to really get rid of a lot of their juices. With cherry tomatoes, the salting-and-draining process is overkill—which means using cherry tomatoes saves you some time, even though the seeding process is (admittedly) a wee bit tedious , er, meditative.
How to Make Bruschetta
You can make bruschetta. Bruschetta is easy. Why? Because bruschetta is (basically) toast. And we know you can make toast. Here’s how easy this dreamy, delicious, healthy summer appetizer is:
Stir the seeded tomatoes with some fresh garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Leave it for at least 10-15 minutes (or even longer) to let the flavors meld.
Brush the bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle with a little garlic powder.
Broil for a few minutes, until the bread is golden brown and toasted.
Mash the avocado with more fresh garlic, lemon juice, some basil, salt and pepper.
Assemble the bruschetta! Spread the smashed avocado on the toasted bread, top with tomatoes and garnish with a little more fresh basil. Serve!
Tools You’ll Need
Pastry brush (extremely handy for oiling the bread slices)
Paring knife (extremely handy for seeding the cherry tomatoes)
More Delicious Tomato Recipes
Congratulations! You Now Know How To Make The Best Bruschetta Recipe Ever.
We’re really into this light, delicious, summertime appetizer! It’s (pssst) vegan, healthy, full of vegetables and oh, most of all, it’s just really darn good. Everyone loves it. When you make it, show us how your bruschetta turned out, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
