Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Basil and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of good quality crusty Italian or French Bread
- 2 cups fresh, good quality ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Olive and Then Some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - Picual, Hojiblanca, or Koroneiki would go well here
- ¼ cup Olive and Then Some Tuscan Herb Olive Oil or Olive and Then SomeGarlic Olive Oil
- 3 cups super sweet cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 cup good quality sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained well
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a grill, BBQ or oven to 425 F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside.
- Toss the cherry tomatoes with ¼ cup Olive and Then Some EVOO, a teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Roast the cherry tomatoes in a cast iron skillet for 15 minutes until blistered and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Slice the bread into 1" thick slices, drizzle the slices with ¼ cup Olive and Then Some EVOO, and grill over high heat, on the BBQ or an indoor cast iron grill until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Using two of the garlic cloves, rub each side of the still warm grilled bread. Set aside.
- Sundried tomato and basil pesto
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the sundried tomatoes, ½ cup basil, 1 garlic clove, ¼ cup Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and process to a paste consistency.
- For assembly
- Spread 1 tablespoon sundried tomato pesto over over one side of the each slice of grilled bread. Top by spreading 1 tablespoon of ricotta. Then place 2 or 3 cherry roasted cherry tomatoes over the ricotta layer, and then add a basil leaf between each tomato (if you're feeling fancy). Otherwise just sprinkle the bruschetta with torn basil leaves.
- Finish each bruschetta with additional sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a drizzle of Olive and Then Some EVOO or Tuscan Herb olive oil.. Serve immediately!
