Herself's Recipes

This showed up in local restaurants about 1999. It has been such a hit in this area you would be hard put to find an Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve it. This version is the best adaptation we came up with from the restaurant versions. This makes a great summer meal when you can grab tomatoes and basil right out of the garden. It is traditionally served as an afternoon snack.

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
French bread, sliced about 1/2″ thick
4 large tomatoes diced
An equal amount of mozzarella cheese diced, fresh if you can get it
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Put crushed garlic and olive oil into a glass dish and microwave 2 minutes
Remove garlic from olive oil and brush olive oil on to the French bread
Toast the French bread until golden brown
Mix remaining olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl

Serve the bread on a platter and spoon tomato, cheese mixture onto bread as you get ready to eat it so the sauce doesn’t make the bread soggy.

I’ve also had this down here in Houston with melted fresh mozzarella on top, then thin slices of peppers that have been roasted with Balsamic vinegar and oil are put on top.

Or in place of peppers one or two shrimp roasted in garlic butter are placed on top of the mozzarella.

Some restaurants add diced red onions to the cold tomato and mozzarella version which is also very good.

I first ran across a version of this on Epicurious as an accompaniment to quail. I find it works well with any rich meat like duck or ham. I’ve also simplified it a fair bit.

2 jars ( 10oz each) boiled onions {or boil your own, for the truly motivated }
1 pound black or red grapes, separated from the stems { seedless }
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and marinate for several hours or overnight if you can.

Roast in a baking dish @350′ for ~30 minutes till heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain off excess liquid prior to serving.

It is said that in Blue Hill, Nebraska, no female wearing a hat that would scare a timid person can be seen in public eating onions.