Romantic Evening Fireplace Nibbles
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
..
and Warmed Asparagus
Ingredients:
6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, halfed to spread on toasts
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
1 Tbls olive oil
optional for browning - I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray
3 oz parmesano reggiano cheese
1 pound of fresh aparagus, rinsed and steamed
Dash of Mrs Dash lemon pepper seasoning
lemon zests
Directions:
Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from
the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are peeled,
cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers.
Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar
in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 3/8 inch thick slices. Place on a cooking sheet that has been sprayed with
non-stick cooking spray. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the
oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Alternatively, you can toast the bread. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score
each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and lightly spray I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray on each slice.
Align the bread on a serving platter, place some topping on each slice of bread. Finely grate the parmesano reggiano over the bruschettas.Serve with the steamed asparagus aside (topping the asparagus with s a few lemon zests).
Makes 24 small slices.
Servings - Makes 6 servings
Per serving = 1/6recipe = POINTS® value 3* |
