Saturday, March 21, 2009

Roasted Pepper Bruschetta

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I love bruschetta and you've seen my recipe before. Here is a perfect appetizer to throw together when you have unexpected company. Of course, this is only going to work if you keep your pantry well stocked. In the near future I will be posting about how I stock my pantry and all the items that I like to keep on hand. This time I happened to have a niece piece of fresh mozzarella in my fridge but in a pinch you can use any type of mozzarella. My mom likes to buy a lot of items in bulk so she buys a big bag of shredded mozarella in Costco and divides them into small bags and keeps them in her freezer. I buy mozzarella and other cheeses when they are on sale in the supermarket. If you have a block of Polly-o or Sorrento cheese that's fine, just slice it thin. If you have shredded mozzarella use enough to neatly cover the bread.

The next pantry item I used for this appetizer is a jar of roasted peppers. If you happen to have a few beautiful red bell peppers to roast I would definitely recommend that. If you would like to know how to do that, see my recipe here. However, we're talking about simple today so I didn't do that this time. Drain peppers and slice them into strips and place them in a bowl. I like to dress or "fix" my peppers (as my mom would say) with cracked garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. If you have the time let the peppers marinate in that mixture for an hour or as long as you can. If you are kalamata olive obsessed like Steve and I are you can throw in some olives. I always have some in the fridge that I pick up at the olive bar at our local Stop and Shop. So slice those in half or smaller and add them to the bowl with the peppers.

Now you're ready to make the bruschetta. Slice the bread on an angle so you have a larger surface area than you would have if you just sliced it straight down. Besides, it looks prettier this way, don't you think? Drizzle with a little oil and toast under the broiler, flip them over and toast the other side. Be careful not too cook them too long, you want a crunch but you don't want to burn them or break your teeth on them. Next add whatever type of cheese you have, fresh sliced, block sliced or shredded. Put back under the broiler just long enough until cheese melts. Arrange on a plate and top with roasted peppers and olives. That's it!

I know this isn't a structured recipe but when you're throwing something together in a pinch who has time to read a recipe, right? Hope this all made sense to you guys! If not, let me know and I will right up a "proper" recipe. :-)

20 comments:

Lucy..♥ said...

Ooooh Michele how I wish I could reach in & have some of these.... look awesome!! Are you sure were not from the same family!!! LOL!!

Daziano said...

An easy and flavorful bruschetta!

vanillasugarblog said...

I can't wait for summer. hubby and I love to eat this on those hot summer nights when nothing but a light and cool meal will do. we love to sit on the deck with some really cold wine

Bob said...

That looks mad good. I actually just made a roasted red pepper tomato sauce (I'll probably post about it Monday), so that's kind of weird. If you are in my head, don't get to deep, you don't want to know what's in there. ;)

Theresa said...

I love Bruschetta. And another good one Michele.

Unknown said...

looks so good Michele, I could eat those like potato chips... YUM

The Blonde Duck said...

Those look really good. I love light tasty dishes like this!

Jamie said...

When we lived in Italy and ate out at a restaurant, we loved being served a plate of mixed Bruschette as appetizes. What fun and always delicious no matter how simple.

Spryte said...

I would LOVE one of those right now!!

La Bella Cooks said...

These are so yummy! I make these for dinner parties and they never last long. They even make for a simple summertime meal, in my opinion. Looks fantastic!

Anonymous said...

You're like the "Queen of Appetizers" I swear. Simple, quick, clean taste, and always beautiful! I LUV this idea. I wouldn't dare use anything other than fresh mozz! (I need to go knock on Shane's door brb LOL)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I love bruschetta, and roasted peppers, so this is a double taste treat!

Michele said...

Lucy - You may be my long lost cousin or something.

Daziano - I really is easy and flavorful!

Dawn - I'm with you!

Bob - You're hilarious!

DD - Really??? That's so funny. I always feel like I don't have enough appetizer variety! LOL

Thanks to all of your for your comments! It's so nice to hear from you!

Joe Ambrosino said...

This is a nice recipe, but I can't help thinking my Italian grandmother, if she were alive today, would never use store bought roasted peppers, nor would she use a brand of mozzarella like Pollio which tastes like plastic to me.The extra work of roasting your own peppers and using a better quality cheese (like Del'Giorno for example)makes a world of difference.

Michele said...

Hi Joe, Thanks so much for your honesty. My Grandmother would prefer fresh ingredients all the time,as do I. However, I would like my readers who may not have as much time to be able to use my recipes daily without feeling intimidated. My Grandmother loved to help people and that's my goal as well,even if that means taking shortcuts from time to time. Happy Cooking!

Carolyn said...

Shel - these sounds delish and I need to try them out for sure!

Barbara GF said...

I could eat this bruschetta every day, Michele. Those jars of roasted peppers in the pantry do come in handy! :-)

Sophie said...

I am so tired of the boring food in my fridge right now! Wish I could get ahold of some o' this right now :D.

Maria said...

The perfect appetizer!

Anonymous said...

Me too! What everyone else said! LOL