heidi's bruschetta

short of traveling to italy, i have tried my share of bruschetta here and there. and no where have i come across a better bruschetta than at the table of heidi harbin, a friend of mine who actually did travel to italy to secure this recipe. it�s the garlicky olive paste that makes all the difference, along with the crispy thinness of the bread. i would use fresh basil before i would use oregano in this recipe, and i actually might increase the paste and the garlic in the paste (or mince or slice garlic in the topping). it might also do to drizzle the final appetizer with olive oil, grind on some pepper, and/or top each toast with a fresh basil leaf.

1 cup pitted olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 t capers, drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 T fresh basil or oregano, snipped
3 T olive oil, plus 1 t
1/8 t black pepper
8oz loaf French bread
� cup parmesan cheese, shredded

-combine olives, garlic, vinegar, capers, and 1 t olive oil in a food processor and blend until a smooth paste forms. set aside.
-combine tomatoes, scallions, basil or oregano, 1 T olive oil, and black pepper. set aside.
-cut bread into � inch slices and brush with remaining olive oil on both sides.
-bake at 425F on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes or until crispy and light brown.
-if desired, store paste and tomato mixture in the fridge and set aside bread and continue with later steps when ready to serve.
-spread each toast with a thin layer of olive paste, top with 2 T tomato mixture, and sprinkle with parmesan.
-bake at 425F for 2-3 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and toppings are heated.
-serve immediately.

optional:

serves x-x

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