Bruschetta

This is a very flavorful and easy appetizer!  The recipe might be a new idea for all those ripe summer tomatoes and fresh basil you have in your garden!

Yield:  12 servings


1 French Banquette (I use my Basic Bread recipe and form skinny, long loaves) 
3 ripe Tomatoes, diced
Handful of fresh Basil leaves
1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated cheese (could also use Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese)
drizzle of Olive Oil
salt to taste


Thinly slice bread on a slant and place on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt. Broil on high 2 minutes each side or until toasted.


Stack basil leaves on top of each other.  Roll long ways and thinly slice to get strips of basil.  Combine basil, diced tomatoes, and cheese in small bowl.  May sprinkle with salt if prefer.  


Spoon mixture onto toasted bread slices. It may help to use a slotted spoon so you don't get too much juice from the tomatoes on the bread, causing it to get soggy.  


Arrange on platter and serve with appetizer napkins.

Sweet Dreams,
Cindy

Marinated Roasted Red Peppers

Every time my husband and I visit his parents, my mother-in-law has a beautiful spread of Italian food waiting for us.  It usually consists of an anti-pasta platter with cheeses, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, marinated olives, shrimp, Italian bread, and marinated roasted red peppers.  It all tastes wonderful, but I especially love the marinated roasted red peppers.  They make an ordinary sandwich taste out of this world amazing!

Since we live 10 hours away and don't have any Italian deli's nearby, I have searched for and tried a number of recipes trying to get my red peppers to taste like the one's my Mom serves. 

Here is my simple yet flavorful recipe:

Yield:  2-3 cups (plenty to serve at a dinner party of 4 and still have leftovers for lunches that week)

3-4 large red peppers

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Cut peppers in half long ways.  Remove seeds and membrane, then place on cookie sheet skin side up.

Broil on High for 5 to 8 minutes or until skin on peppers is black.  (You will want as much skin to turn black as possible so that it will be easier to peel off later)

(The right side of this pepper was a lot easier to peel than the left since the skin was more burnt)

Remove peppers from cookie sheet and place in brown paper lunch bag.  Fold down top and allow the peppers to rest for 10 minutes.  

Open up bag and remove the peppers, being careful since they are still hot.  Peel off the skin and cut peppers into pieces.  (Cut the size large or small depending on how you plan to serve them--smaller if serving with crackers as an appetizer and larger if going on sandwiches.)

(Skin off versus skin on) 

Place cut peppers in bowl and mix with Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper.  Cover and let them marinade in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.  They are great right away but taste even better the next day!!

I really hope you try this recipe.  I love serving this to guests and it always impresses!

Sweet Dreams,
Cindy