I am on a Farmer’s Market kick right now and am doing well with my own personal challenge to try a new recipe each week inspired by the seasonal ingredients I’m finding there. This week, I started to see a nice variety of sweet, colorful summer tomatoes and knew they were the ingredient for me. Appetizers have been on my mind with all of the upcoming summer celebrations and BBQs. I thought it would be a fun idea to create an individually portioned starter that guests could grab and nibble on while playing lawn games.
I decided to add a new spin to a classic dish for this recipe; starting with the basic elements of a bruschetta: chopped tomatoes, garlic, and lots of salt, pepper and olive oil. I upped the flavors with diced red onions, the fresh herb flavor of basil leaves, and sliced up a variety of marinated olives for that salty brine.
After all of the ingredients marinated together, you end up with flavors melded into a fresh summery combination. I portioned a heaping spoonful of the mixture into Chinet® Cut Crystal® cups – the clear cups let all of the bright colors of the tomatoes and onions and olives pop on a larger tray. Serve using a slotted spoon to reduce the amount of liquid you get in each cup. Each portion was served with a crispy ciabatta toasts that soak up the juices from the olive-bruschetta and acts as a utensil for scoping up every last bit of the summer tomatoes. I arranged all of the Chinet Cut Crystal cups on a larger tray for carrying around the party to offer-up guests these tasty, seasonal snacks. 
The bruschetta makes great leftovers, too! Use it in a pasta salad, toss it with crusty bread cubes for a panzanella or serve it over baked white fish for an entrée. Get the full recipe below!
- 4 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes, variety
- ¼ of a red onion, diced
- ¼ cup of marinated olives, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 6-8 basil leaves, minced
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
- Ciabatta or other toasty bread
- Combined chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, sliced olives, garlic cloves, basil leaves in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper and let the mixture marinate for at least one hour in the fridge before serving.
- Scoop bruschetta into individual cups and serve with ciabatta spears for dipping.
Please note: This post was created in collaboration with the Chinet® brand. All opinions, ideas, and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site.
