Tomato-Basil Crostini

Forget whatever new, fancy thing you can do with your iPhone; the app that is sure to actually improve your quality of life is this simple, utterly tasty appetizer. If there’s a better combination than tomatoes, basil, and bread, we don’t even want to know about it.

Serves 6

What You Need:

4 large tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
12-inch baguette or French bread, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh basil leaves, as garnish (whole or chiffonaded)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and vinegar and mix well. Transfer tomatoes to a mesh strainer and set over a bowl or sink. Drain 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange bread rounds on baking sheet. Drizzle a few drops of additional olive oil over each round. Bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

3. Allow rounds to cool 5 minutes, then arrange on a serving platter. Top each round with roughly 1 tablespoon of tomato mixture, and drizzle with additional olive oil. Top each round with a fresh basil leaf.