I’ve had several people ask me to give the Bruschetta recipes that I did with on WRCB 3 NBC Chattanooga during the 3 Plus You program. The truth is that I did a very quick version to show how simple this dish can be. So, what is Bruschetta?
Broken down to its lowest level Bruschetta is bread lightly basted with olive oil and toasted over coals, or grilled, or baked… you get the idea. For general conversation, that’s all Bruschetta really is. I’ve been told the whole idea is that this was a way to test the flavor of a batch of Olive Oil back in the day. Everything after that is for fun. Traditionally you’ll see tomato, garlic, cannellini beans etc.
All this really means is that I drove Ally around to several restaurants in search of a classic Bruschetta. Everyone seemed to have their own take on how to make it so I figured I could do the same.
You can probably see where this is going if you’ve ever read one of my books, seen me on TV or attended a book signing or NASCAR tailgate when I have my grills set up. Yep, I went a bit Tex-Mex and Red Neck. Here’s what I did.
Basic Bruschetta
Italian or French Bread sliced
Basted lightly with Olive Oil
or Pam Spray Olive Oil
Toasted on the grill – lightly
Tex Mex Flavored
Italian seasoning
Italian seasoned chopped tomatoes
Salsa – Chunky
Pepper Jack or Mozzarella Cheese
Combine the tomatoes and salsa. Place some cheese on the Bruschetta, or as we call it in the South… toast. Then top with the mix, sprinkle with seasoning, maybe even Cajun seasoning and serve. – DANG!
Red Neck Bruschetta
Pepper Jack Cheese
Pulled smoked pork
BBQ Sauce.
Yep, a different twist, but like I said; after the sliced bread and olive oil toasted… everything else is Gravy… or BBQ sauce!
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Kent Whitaker is a national cookbook author and culinary writer with 10 published books. He is also member of, and, an AUXCHEF trainer for the United States Coast Guard Aux. He and his wife Ally live in East Tennessee with their son Macee and two spoiled dogs. Kent's books are available, or can be ordered at, any book store or online at www.thedeckchef.com . Look for Kent on twitter at www.twitter.com/thekentwhitaker .