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Ok, so some may say that making bruschetta without basil and balsamic vinegar is sacrilegious, but trust me, in a pinch, this recipe is absolutely delicious and almost too easy. Just so as not to offend the traditionalists, we'll call this "T.O.G.O. (tomato, onion, garlic, olive oil) Crostini." It was a real crowd-pleaser at Dave's birthday. Even the birthday boy himself, who usually won't get near a tomato, loved it.
T.O.G.O. CROSTINI
You'll need:
3 good sized beefsteak tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium cloves of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
ground pepper and salt to taste
1 crusty french baguette, cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick
shredded parmesan, asiago or any other hard italian cheese
First, chop your tomatoes and mince the onion and garlic. I remove all the gooey, seedy insides because I like crisp, crusty bread and meaty chunks of tomato. Too much gunk and you've got soggy bread and mushy topping. Mix together in a bowl with your extra virgin olive oil.
When I use olive oil in "raw" recipes (where the olive oil won't actually be cooked) I always use a good-quality extra virgin because the flavor is much better. I got the bottle on the left at a deep discount in the gourmet food section at TJ Maxx. Yes, TJ Maxx has a gourmet food section. Shhh, don't tell.
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Set your T.O.G.O. topping aside (you can refrigerate it for later use, if you'd like). Right before you are going to serve the crostini, toast your bread slices on a sheet pan under the broiler until slightly toasted (I think the crostini taste better when the bread is crunchy on the outside, but still has a chewy, moist center).
Place a dollop 0f the topping on each crostini right out of the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.
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Mmmm. Gotta love the contrast between the hot, chewy, flaky bread and the cool, tender, bursting-with-flavor topping. Semplicemente deliziosa.
