Ripe Tomatoes on Grilled Crusty Bread. {recipe}

Posted by Ethne~

Lori and I are revving up for Girls Trip ’13 next weekend – we can’t wait!  One of the things we LOVE to do together is cook.  We’re even hitting up a farmer’s market this year for groceries.

While checking out at the grocery store recently, I saw this dreamy tomato on grilled artisan bread on the cover of Martha Stewart Living.  YUM.  I didn’t buy the mag; I make up my own recipes all the time, right?  They can get the credit for inspiration, but Shaun and I are totally doing this ourselves today.  If it’s good, it’s gonna be a re-do at GT next weekend.

I almost bought the magazine, but then just looked at the recipe.  Those *ripe* colored tomatoes are beautiful, huh?

We’re also having marinated veggie kebabs and flank steak.  Totally fresh and delicious to take advantage of grilling and produce available here in the Midwest.  I can’t wait!  (I’m writing this as we cook!!)

flank steak marinatin' away

We debated whether to brush the bread with olive oil before grilling, and decided to do so.  Here’s a grilling pic, snuck through the screen door.  Shaun would shoo me away if I tried to take a picture over his shoulder while he was grilling.

bread brushed with olive oil

sneaky-sneak picture

Theodore watched the grilling with me

My assembly of ingredients: bread, garlic, olive oil, 2 tomatoes sliced (I cut up another tomato after this pic) + salt & pepper

When the toast came off the grill (it had grill marks but not charred all-over), I drizzled lightly with olive oil and rubbed a peeled, fresh clove of garlic on the toasty insides.  I laid the tomato slices onto the bread, drizzled with a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper.

We don't have the fancy-pants colored tomatoes at our local Target or Cub.  These red tomatoes were perfectly ripe though.

It was so good.

Shaun suggested a slightly crustier bread (such as a ciabatta or baguette) that has lots of holes inside would toast better, so we’ll have to try that; he also said I didn’t need one of my two coats of olive oil (in his opinion); and we thought that in the future, roasting a whole clove of garlic and spreading that on this like butter would be divine.

Things to try on a really good recipe already.  Perfect, since I probably never make one thing the same way twice anyway!

PS, check out our new way of storing vitamins - we kept forgetting to take our vitamins when they're up in the cupboard, so I got cute jars and now we don't forget!