This is another dish that started out as a way to use up leftovers but was so good that it took a life of its own. It’s really just toasted baguettes covered in a mix that’s typically made with chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, cheese and finished with basil. But again, there’s really no set way to make this dish since it’s more of a concept than a recipe
Mise En Place
- A Knife and board
- A baking pan
- Oven preheated to 350
- A small sauce pot or pan
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of good bread, either make it yourself or buy it from a bakery
- A tomato chopped or use the “Sun dried tomatoes”
- A few cloves of Garlic
- Olive oil about a ½ to ¾ of a cup, maybe a bit more
- Cheese
- Fresh basil, thyme or oregano
Method of Preparation
- Cut the bread into manageable slices and lay on the sheet tray. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake until they are just lightly starting to turn color.
- Heat the rest of the oil with tomatoes and garlic.
- Cover the bread with the tomatoes, garlic and oil
- Cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is nice and melted
- Dust with salt, pepper and fresh herbs
Notes
- Again, this is more of a concept or idea than a recipe.
- The reason you want to toast your bread before you cover with the cheese and tomatoes is that you want to have a nice crust so that it doesn’t get soggy.
- The reason you want to heat up the tomatoes and garlic in the oil before you cover the bread is that you want to let the flavors from the garlic and tomatoes saturate the oil.
- Spoon the mix on the bread, don’t just dump it on. Chances are you’re making this dish to get laid (I know my readers) so make sure it looks good. You eat with your eyes.
- The reason you wait until the last minute to add the fresh herbs is that they will burn in the oven but the heat from the cheese is enough to open them up and let the flavors out. Don’t use dried shit.
- Play around with the ideas and experiment with different ingredients.