Today was harvest day at the Cremona house. With my handy shears, I plopped tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos, serranos, green beans, and an orange pepper into my basket. When I was done, I looked like I raided a farmer’s market.
I am so proud of my orange bell pepper. Last year only my green peppers grew so I was thrilled when this year turned out to be different. I didn’t want my miracle pepper to go to waste. This pepper needed to be used in a truly fun recipe. Something unique where the flavors of the pepper stood out.
This twist on the traditional, tomato-based bruschetta was excellent. The orange pepper makes the bruschetta sweeter and crunchier. Next time I make this I think I’ll use different color bell peppers to see how that mixes up the taste.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of french bread, sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 4 large leaves of basil, finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar*
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
*Feel free to substitute with white balsamic vinegar if you have it on hand
Directions
- Cut bell pepper into slices. Toss peppers into small cooking pan with balsamic vinegar. Cook until peppers are soft. Remove and let them cool. Dice peppers.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Slice french bread in 3/4 inch slices. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and line bread on pan.
- Cook bread in oven for about 3 minutes, just enough time for the bread to be lightly toasted. I turned the bread over half way through.
- Remove and let cool. Rub bread tops lightly with garlic. Brush bread tops with olive oil.
- Top each toast with diced peppers and chopped basil. Arrange bruschettas on a serving platter or tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Modified from: Rachael Ray
