Cooper’s Holiday Bruschetta

The holidays are always a great way to spend time with family and friends and although long family recipes being passed from generation to generation is a great way to remember past family members, I created a new dish to spice up my family’s tradition.

Even though my family isn’t Italian, I appreciate and like to create a specific Italian appetizer that’s simple and easy to make, bruschetta. It’s toast bread topped with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, garlic and fresh basil. 

Exactly two years ago on the day of my family’s annual Christmas Eve dinner I was rather bored with my family’s cooking. Year after year it was all the same, so I came up with a recipe to make bruschetta. I had remembered making bruschetta years prior with my grandmother, however, I thought her recipe lacked a certain flavor, so I tweaked a few things on her recipe. I decided to add fresh basil, garlic and balsamic vinegar to the mix, making the perfect Bruschetta. As soon as I arrived at my family’s annual Christmas Eve party all my family members flocked immediately towards me, asking questions about the new colorful and festive dish that I was holding. Of course they questioned why I made an Italian dish when my family isn’t actually Italian, but the short answer I gave them was simple, I just liked Italian food and I felt like making it. As soon as my family members took the first few bites of my Italian appetizer they couldn’t get enough of it, by the end of the night I hardly had any. From that point on I decided to make a new tradition and make bruschetta every Christmas Eve for my family.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread, cut in ¼-inch slices
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 roma tomatoes, diced
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Chop the tomatoes until there’s small hunks
• Add Parmesan cheese and basil (break up the basil into small pieces)
• Add salt and pepper
• Add minced garlic
• Mix together
• Add balsamic vinegar and olive oil
• Cut bread into slices (can toast bread if preferred)
• Top the tomato mixture onto the slices of bread
• Enjoy!