I have to say that I am the world's worst gardener. Seriously, I suck. I always forget to do something (like plant the seedlings; water the plants, etc). This year, when planting my tomato seeds, I forgot to actually plant them. In Ontario, tomatoes should be planted indoors about 3-4 weeks after the last frost.This year, that fell somewhere near mid-April. 

I planted my tomato seeds at the end of July. I got a lot of flack from my family about this– they made fun of me for having such a crappy green thumb, and joked that my tomatoes will be ready in time for Christmas.
 

The joke faded when my tomatoes started to populate the garden, and I’m happy to report that we picked a full bushel. I didn’t have enough to make tomato sauce, but had plenty to make Bruschetta (pronounced  BROO-SKET-TA).

 
Bruschetta Anti-Pasto
 
Ingredients:
 - 6 or 7 ripe vine tomatoes
 - 2 cloves garlic, minced (more or less depending on your personal taste)
 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 - 5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
 - 1/2 of one large white onion
 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 - 1 baguette, or ciabatta loaf
 - 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Prep:
- Finely dice onion– once diced, place in sieve and rinse in frigid water. This is to minimize the pungent flavor and smells of the onion.
- Finely mince garlic.
- Finely chop basil leaves.
- Finely dice tomatoes.
 
Combine:
Combine the diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss in olive oil. Mix until just combined.
 
Prepare bread:
 My favorite way to enjoy bruschetta is over toasted ciabatta baguette:
- Slice ciabatta baguette on a bias
- Brush each slice with olive oil
- Bake slices on a foil- lined cookie sheet at 450′F (top rack) for about 2 minutes per side, or until the bread begins to turn golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
 

Serve! You can make the bruschetta the day before serving, storing it in an airtight container. Make sure to toast the bread on demand, so it doesn’t harden.

Madalina Paul is the blogger behind Duhlicious, a food blog dedicated to creating and sharing unique and original recipes for great tasting food and featuring tutorials, food news, and culinary adventures.

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