Openfaced toasts with this quick-fix tapenade is perfect for finishing up that essay (due next period during) lunch- you'll have a free hand while crunching and savoring the deep roasted flavors. I make this before Monday night band rehearsals because it's so quick and easy.
'Tapenade' is just a fancy way to say 'topping'. The kind I make is a bit like an unspicy salsa. Instead of using jalapenos and cilantro, sub in basil and olives. If you don't like tomatoes, just give this a try once! Together with bread they have a light fruity taste instead of that mushy stuff sogging up your burgers. Opt for juicier tomatoes like firehouse or roma. I was blessed enough to have a family friend give us a bunch of their wonderful organic tomato harvest.
If you have a tomato and some old bread around the kitchen, you can make this simplified Italian antipasto. That's just about all you need;
A few onion slivers, celery, or olives is also really good in here.
- 2 slices bread (preferably older for crispness)
- 1 medium tomato
- Spices (basil, salt, pepper, 'bacon' bits, horseradish, tabasco)
A few onion slivers, celery, or olives is also really good in here.
To make you some tapenade;
- Pop your bread into the toaster. Get them nice and crunchy, but not burned!
- While your bread gets a tan, slice your tomato into centimeter-thick rounds.
- Place a couple slices onto a foil lined baking sheet and roast them under the broiler in the oven until they start to brown and lose most of the liquid.
- When the tomatoes are browned, scrape them into a dish and mix in your spices and other topings. Add one freshly chopped tomato slice to the mix.
- Allow tapenade to cool for a while, spread onto toast, and enjoy!
For a cleansing mediterranean lunch, add a side of homemade hummus and bell pepper sticks.