Not much to say about today. My wife had to work so my pal Ernie and I took off for a short trip to Bakersfield to check out some cars for his mother.
We did take a chance on some Indian cuisine at the Taj Mahal restaurant and it was a 4* out of a possible 5*.
We both tried the buffet which featured Chicken Marsala and a great Shrimp Korma........MMMMMMMMM Good!!
No creative food today. Gayle wanted to make her version, or should I say Martha Stewart's version, of Turkey Burgers. I have to admit I am not a big turkey fan however these were not bad as she added grilled onion and a nice mozzarella melt to the top.
Tomorrow I think it'll be time for a great stuffed pork loin roast. Recipe and pictures to come. Cheers !
Monday, February 14, 2011
Bruschetta with Basil, Balsamic and Mozzarella Cheese
I made this for what I call a LINNER (Combination late lunch and early dinner) snack. It's a Sunday (2-13-11) and Gayle and I had a busy day around the house and happened to miss our lunch. Instead of making a large meal I suggested we have a snack to satisfy us until we had the time to prepare a nice late dinner. BINGO time for this bruschetta !! This is a great snack that is low calorie and low budget. My friend Ernie and I went out on one of our mulit-times per week exercise walks and happened to stop at the local bread store. I found a nice french loaf and french baguette for $.50 each.....needless to say they both made it into my basket. I slapped together a dozen of these Bruschetta medallions for less than $2.00.
My Ingredients:
1 French baguette loaf (Italian, sourdough or any 2-3" loaf will work)
3 roma tomatoes
6-8 leafs fresh basil (dry works just as well)
2 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper
My Method:
Cut the ends from the baguette and either discard or keep to make bread crumbs for another recipe. Cut 12 3/4" medallions from the baguette and then lightly butter each one. Place these butter side down in a sautee pan and lightly brown (about 2 minutes), then remove from the pan.
Boil 3 cups of water in a pot. When the water is boiling remove from heat and drop in your 3 tomatoes to parboil. Parboil these for 1 minute only. Remove the tomatoes, cut off the top and the skin should peel right off easily. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the center portion (spine) and seeds. Then dice finely.
Finely dice your garlic. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic, fresh basil (chopped) or 1 tsp of dry basil, a pinch of salt and 2 grinds of fresh pepper into a small bowl and mix together with a spoon or your hand.
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place your rack to the top level.
Place the baguette medallions on a cookie sheet lined with foil and a little bit of olive oil (so the bread does not stick). Take a spoon full of your tomato mixture and place it on top of each medallion (BUTTER SIDE UP). Then add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the top of the tomatoes and a pinch of Mozzarella cheese to top of your creation.
Bake for 5-6 minutes, remove from the oven and VOILA !!! A snack for for a KING !!!
My Ingredients:
1 French baguette loaf (Italian, sourdough or any 2-3" loaf will work)
3 roma tomatoes
6-8 leafs fresh basil (dry works just as well)
2 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper
My Method:
Cut the ends from the baguette and either discard or keep to make bread crumbs for another recipe. Cut 12 3/4" medallions from the baguette and then lightly butter each one. Place these butter side down in a sautee pan and lightly brown (about 2 minutes), then remove from the pan.
Boil 3 cups of water in a pot. When the water is boiling remove from heat and drop in your 3 tomatoes to parboil. Parboil these for 1 minute only. Remove the tomatoes, cut off the top and the skin should peel right off easily. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the center portion (spine) and seeds. Then dice finely.
Finely dice your garlic. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic, fresh basil (chopped) or 1 tsp of dry basil, a pinch of salt and 2 grinds of fresh pepper into a small bowl and mix together with a spoon or your hand.
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place your rack to the top level.
Place the baguette medallions on a cookie sheet lined with foil and a little bit of olive oil (so the bread does not stick). Take a spoon full of your tomato mixture and place it on top of each medallion (BUTTER SIDE UP). Then add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the top of the tomatoes and a pinch of Mozzarella cheese to top of your creation.
Bake for 5-6 minutes, remove from the oven and VOILA !!! A snack for for a KING !!!
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