Bruschetta is sort of like pizza, and I’m obsessed with pizza. If anyone were to ever ask me, “What food could you eat if you had to eat it every day for the rest of your life?”, I would answer PIZZA! You can do so many different things with pizza; different sauces, different cheeses and the topping possibilities are endless.
Bruschetta is like pizza’s baby brother; it comes in a smaller size portion, but they have a lot in common. Both items have a bready bottom and I just can’t get enough of them. Today, I’m going to share with you one of my favorite new “happytizers” created from my bruschetta imagination.
Since seasonal summer ingredients are in my kitchen these days, I chose to work with some vegetables I already had from the Farmers Market and one of my favorite go-to canned goods in my cupboard: artichoke hearts. Artichoke hearts are a perfect summer vegetable and they also taste great with lemon, so I combined those two elements along with some tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil and Italian meat and cheeses and came up with: Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta with Crispy Prosciutto.
This bruschetta appetizer rocks my mouth's world, FYI. It’s bright, hearty, flavorful and crunchy. Who could ask for more?! I would whip this artichoke bruschetta up in a heartbeat for friends and serve it with some cold Sauvignon Blanc. I made it for my husband and I for our at-home movie date the other night and he loved it too (remember, he’s the picky one)!
I used a combination of baby yellow Heirloom tomatoes and grape tomatoes for good color combination. I will also mention that canned artichoke hearts can be especially soaked with liquid from sitting in a can, so once I drain them, I used my fingers to individually give them a squeeze and let out he excess juice before I rough chop them. Be sure to watch your oven and/or set a timer when toasting your bread and crisping your prosciutto – it’s easy to get distracted and forget about them!
Bring a taste of Italy your home with my new Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta with Crispy Prosciutto. If you make them, be sure to tag me @lovehappyhour with #lovehappyhour on either Instagram or Twitter! P.S. When I made these the other night, we didn't finish the entire batch, so I savedthe rest in refridgerator and then scooped it cold on some Triscuits without the prosciutto (it was so hot outside and didn't want to use the oven) and it was amaze, btw.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baguette slices on one half side of a foil or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Spray both sides of the bread with an olive oil or butter cooking spray. Brushing with olive oil will work just as well. Place prosciutto slices on the other half of the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until bread in toasted along the edges and prosciutto is crispy. Take the prosciutto off baking sheet, set on a paper plate lined with a paper towel and use your fingers to break in up into small pieces.
2. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, add artichoke hearts, tomatoes, garlic, basil, both cheeses, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss all of the ingredients together until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the artichoke mixture on the top of your toasted bread slices and place the baking sheet back in the oven for about 10-12 minutes and then remove. Top with crispy prosciutto pieces and serve.
