Very nice appetizer that I can't keep my kids away from
- Carbohydrate 58.3766891666667 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.76303916739034 g
- Fiber 5.10537519905964 g
- Protein 12.3285833333333 g
- Saturated Fat 0.729655833433258 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (338g)
- Sodium 567.314000000015 mg
- Sugar 53.271313967607 g
- Trans Fat 0.362851666686264 g
- Calories 309 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Chop everything small (like 1/8 inch), mince garlic, and mix it all with 2 of the 3 tbsp of oil. Let soak for 30 minutes at least.
- Slice Bagette into little bread like slices, and sprinkle a little olive oil (say 5 drops per piece) and toast in oven.
- Spoon tomato mixture onto the little slices of bagette and serve immediately
Tomatoes carry this entire preparation, meaning their moisture content dictates whether your bread turns into a soggy mess or holds its structural integrity under a heavy load. When cutting the produce into the specified 1/8-inch dice, removing the wet seed jelly before mixing prevents excess liquid from pooling at the bottom of your bowl during the mandatory thirty-minute soak. Without this targeted draining step, the accumulated water will dilute the olive oil and wash out the dried oregano flavor entirely.
Scaling this ratio requires careful attention to the surface area of the baguette rather than simply multiplying the vegetable weight by headcount. Doubling the batch means you must increase the garlic and onion proportions logarithmically rather than linearly, or the sharp sulfur compounds will completely overwhelm the delicate fresh basil leaves. If you plan to toast the bread slices in batches at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, keep untoasted slices in a sealed paper bag to prevent them from absorbing ambient humidity before they hit the heat.
Fresh Roma or plum varieties yield a much denser, less watery maceration than standard field varieties, reducing the need for extensive draining while concentrating natural glutamates. Using dried oregano provides a concentrated, woody punch that fresh herbs cannot match without quadrupling the volume, though fresh basil remains non-negotiable for its bright top notes. Mincing the garlic clove on a microplane rasp rather than chopping it manually ensures the pungent oils distribute evenly throughout the oil phase without leaving harsh, raw chunks in the finished topping.
Serving this immediately upon spooning the mixture onto the toasted bread is critical because the salt draws out remaining moisture within minutes of contact. If you need to prep components hours ahead, keep the chopped vegetables and toasted baguette completely separate in airtight containers at room temperature, combining them only when guests are seated and ready to eat.
