Friday Recipe: Olive Oil, Garlic and Tomato Crostini
By Christine of Mid-Life Croissant food blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Before you head to your local farmer’s market tomorrow I want to tell you something.
Tomatoes.
Alternatively, if you need inspiration to leave your air-conditioned home and head to your local farmer’s market tomorrow I also want to tell you something.
Tomatoes.
Tomatoes are having a banner year this year. Nightshade lovers across the country are downright giddy over the earlier-than-usual bounty electrifying their local farm stands, co-ops and grocery stores.
Thanks to my sister with the super green thumb, I already have sun golds!!!
Jealous?
Don’t be. Get to the market.
The abundance is almost disorienting. If you get as excited by fresh produce as I do, you could…conceivably…find yourself in the position of having too many tomatoes.
This is a good problem to have, however, because a quick Google search for “gazpacho recipe” yields 1,590,00 results.
“Pickled tomato recipe” = 487,000.
“Fresh homemade marinara recipe” = 679,000.
But none of them are as easy as this simple crostini recipe. It takes five ingredients and ten minutes. Literally.
First, cut the baguette in rounds (I like them about ½ inch thick) and brush their tops with olive oil.
Next, broil them for 1 to 2 minutes. I go all the way to two minutes as long as they’re not burning on top. The tomato softens them up, especially if they’re sitting out for a while, so I don’t worry about them getting too crunchy.
Next, rub their tops with garlic. Don’t over do it! The garlic is strong because it’s raw. If you want this to be appealing to kids or if you’re planning to get amorous anytime soon…two confident swipes is all you need!
Then rub the tomato on top. I give the tomato a good squeeze as I rub so it’s savory juices get all in the bread. Sometimes you even get a little pulp as an added bonus. *swoon*
Then you sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
This simple crostini recipe is just the thing for casual cocktails with friends on a hot summer evening.
OLIVE OIL, GARLIC & TOMATO CROSTINI
Serves 4
Ingredients
*1 whole grain baguette
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*1 large garlic clove, peeled
*2 whole plum tomatoes
sea salt
*Ingredients available seasonally at your neighborhood Greenmarket
Instructions
Preheat broiler. Slice baguette in rounds. Brush each slice thoroughly with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Broil 1-2 minutes, until bread is lightly toasted.Rub each piece of toast with the raw garlic, followed by the raw tomato. Season each piece with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Brooklyn Greenmarkets:
Fort Greene Park on Saturdays
Grand Army Plaza on Saturdays
Bartell Pritchard Square on Wednesdays
PS 154 on Sundays
Parkside on Sundays
Cortelyou Road between Argyle & Rugby on Sundays – open year round.
Borough Park on Thursdays – 14th Avenue between 49th and 50th St.
Sunset Park on Sundays – 4th Ave btwn 59th & 60th St, Brooklyn. Open Saturdays, July 9 – November 19
Bensonhurst on Sundays – 18th Ave between 81st and 82nd St