Bruschetta & Two Variations on its Theme

I hated tomatoes when I was growing up. I would diligently pick them out of whatever I was eating. I even hated tomato sauce and ketchup. Weird, I know. But when I hit 20, something changed. I think the turning point was this delicious tomato pie one of my co-workers made for me. I couldn't stop eating it. Out of curiosity, I kept trying tomatoes in various forms and found that I actually liked them! Crazy! I now have to make up for all those lost tomato-hating years.

So now it's tomato season. Heirloom tomatoes (from the farmer's market of course!) are something I wait all winter and spring for because their beautiful texture, flavour, and colour far outstrips the hothouse tomatoes or even the bland vine-ripened regular tomatoes. We want to take advantage of the limited season, and the best way to do that is to maintain simplicity. However, there are limitless variations on this theme. The base recipe is as follows:

Bruschetta Topping

Serves 2 in the following recipes, or 6-8 as a stand-alone appetiser
1 large heirloom tomato (at room temperature)
1 large garlic clove
15-20 fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade-style
3-5 Tbs good olive oil
1 tsp real balsamic vinegar

Stir, then let it sit for 30 minutes to marinate and get the best out of the flavours. Delicious!!

The best thing about this recipe is that there are infinite possibilities for it! You could use it in place of salsa, you could use it as a pasta sauce, hell...you could even eat it straight out of the bowl! We had it three ways this week - bruschetta two times, once "plain" and once with goat's cheese, and "Mexican"-style beans on toast.

Goat's Cheese Bruschetta

To assemble:
Lightly coat slices of homemade bread (sliced so they are the same thickness, ideally) in olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Turn the broiler to low and broil the slices until they are light golden brown on both sides. While still warm, spread goat's cheese liberally on each slice. Then, top with tomatoes.

Mexican-Style Beans on Toast
(it ain't pretty, but it's delicious!)

Beans:
1/2-2/3 cup heirloom beans, such as Rancho Grande's Jacob's Cattle
3 cloves garlic, two crushed, one roughly chopped
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 Qt. stock (I used homemade rabbit stock, but any will do)
Reserved bean-soaking liquid

Soak the beans for at least 2 hours. When they are finished soaking, saute the shallot and chopped garlic in olive oil. When the shallot is translucent, add the soaked beans, crushed garlic, thyme and the stock. If the stock alone does not cover the beans, add some of the bean soaking liquid. Let the beans simmer for 1-1.5 hours, or until tender. They should look a bit like refried beans at this point. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add some cayenne or paprika if desired.

To assemble, you will need:
2 slices of bread per person, preferable homemade**
1 avocado
1/2 cup grated cheese, any variety you like
tomato bruschetta mix
sour cream (if desired)

Lightly coat slices of homemade bread (sliced so they are the same thickness, ideally) in olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Turn the broiler to low and broil the slices until they are light golden brown on both sides. Then, cover the bread with the cheese. If desired, cheese can be melted under the broiler at this point. Cover with beans, avocado, tomatoes and sour cream. Season and enjoy!

**We used bread because we didn't have any tortillas handy. It would be FAR more delicious on corn tortillas, lightly fried in oil so they are slighly crunchy.