Instant Bruschetta = Instant Gratification

Instant bruschetta = instant gratification.  See, I had to take a bite even before I took a picture.  Sometimes the art has to wait.

This is a ridiculously simple recipe.  In fact, it's barely a recipe.  It's more of a reminder.  You see, I was a feeling a tad peckish just now, and at first, the best my brain could come up with was toast.  Now I adore toast -- just ask my Facebook page -- and I'm never disappointed with plain ol' (soy) buttered toast.  But the kitchen angels smiled upon me today as I popped into the toaster the last two slices of a nice loaf of rosemary olive bread that we picked up yesterday.  First, I thought I might smear my with some nice ripe avocado.  Nope, the avocados on the counter are green rocks; not ready to eat for at least another six weeks.  (Ha.)  But then my gaze alighted upon that bright red thing in front of the avocados, screaming for attention.  Yes, the wonderful, adoration-worthy tomato.  (True, it's too early for tomatoes, season-wise.  But we're getting there.)

And boy, do tomatoes fancy up a piece of toast.  Yup, you can have yourself a slice or two of bruschetta in the time it takes to toast your bread.  But you knew that -- I'm just reminding you of a simple, delicious option.  Perfect for pairing with a bowl of hearty white bean soup, or a gorgeous salad, or heck, go the all-carb route and have it with some pasta.  Or just have it on its own as I did, and you won't be disappointed.

Here's the recipe/reminder:

-- toast some bread, and if you've got some fancy bread (ciabatta, rosemary olive bread, etc.) so much better will your bruschetta be.
-- while it toasts, slice a tomato, and grab a couple of fresh basil leaves (if you've got 'em, if not no worries), a clove of garlic, and some extra virgin olive oil.
-- cut one end of the garlic clove off, but leave the clove unpeeled (or peel it, whatever)
-- when your toast is ready, drizzle with some olive oil
-- then rub the cut side of the garlic clove over your toasted bread
-- if you've got basil, place a leaf or two on each slice of toast
-- top with sliced tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you'd like.

Yeah, I know, that was super obvious.  But sometimes the tastiest things are very simple.  And often -- like that bright red tomato staring me down from the counter -- they're right in front of our eyes.  Thanks to little reminders here and there, we can finally see them, where they've been all along.

Salud!