Here is a quick appetizer or light lunch to try. Bruschetta with Olives and Capers. It comes together in about 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe easily for a larger group. Feel free to play with this recipe and change things out.
Bruchetta is similar to the Spanish Pan con Tomate. Both start with a piece of rustic bread. Then they are traditionally rubbed by a clove of garlic to flavor the bread. Although tomatoes come next, it is here that differences, subtle and significant start.
With a pan con tomate (known as Pa amb tomàquet in Catalan) , you rub the bread with a tomato. Next comes salt and olive oil. Diners can then add additional toppings such as jamon or anchovies. You put the pan con tomate together yourself at the table. The kitchen provides the ingredients.
For bruschetta, the tomato is typically made into some light salsa and topped on the bread. Perhaps tomato, olive oil, garlic and basil. That is just one variation. Others exist too. Often they include cheeses. Then cured meat, anchovies or other toppings are added.
Although the dishes are similar, you can’t just call them the same. There are distinctly regional differences that make them popular in their homes. That is one of the great things about food – two cultures can take similar ingredients, use similar methods, and yet produce distinctly different dishes.
In my version, its defiantly bruschetta. I don’t rub tomoatoes on the bread. What I do it add olives and capers and create something delicious that recognizes the
A couple of notes:
For best results, I hand chop the onions. I add the onions them to the olive mixture once it has been through the food processor. It is my opinion that the food processor would over process the onions. The result would be very strong onions that would dominate.
Use any pesto that you have as a spread, but this is a great use for the Beet Green Pesto.
Bread slices can be as large or small as you want depending on what you are using the Bruschetta for. Small baguette rounds are great for a party appetizer. Larger slices make a nice light lunch. Whatever size you make, you’ll love the Bruschetta with Olives and Capers.
Bruschetta with Olives and Capers
Ingredients
- 4 slices of crusty bread
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 TBS capers
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 TBS fresh parsley chopped
- 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup beet green pesto any green pesto will do
- Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- Toast slices of bread until nice and crispy
- While bread is toasting, combine both olives, capers and garlic in the bowl of a small food processor
- Pulse half a dozen times until chunky (keep it rough chopped, not mushy)
- Transfer olive mixture to a bowl and add onions, oregano, parsley, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Combines and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Remove toasted bread slices from oven/toaster when ready and let cool briefly
- When cool enough to handle, spread beet green pesto on each slice
- Top each slice with Olive and Caper mix
- Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese and several grape tomato slices one each Bruschetta for garnish
- Serve while bread is still warm
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Notes
Use any pesto that you have as a spread, but this is a great use for the Beet Green Pesto
Bread slices can be as large or small as you want depending on what you are using the Bruschetta for. Small baguette rounds are great for a party appetizer. Larger slices make a nice light lunch.