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Student Suppers: Easy Bruschetta Salsa with Tortilla Chips
When I lived in Los Angeles, there were a few items I always used to pick up any time I went to Trader Joe’s across the street so they were always in my fridge/ kitchen cupboard. I always had a bag of their lightly salted tortilla chips to hand, a tub of their fantastic soured cream which is a bit thicker than the ones we can buy in British supermarkets (and therefore perfect for scooping), and a tub of their freshly made Pico de Gallo Salsa (which I have replicated in Student Eats). This golden trio, sometimes eaten in front of the television (usually episodes of The Good Wife) formed many a last minute meal when I’ve not needed much. Recently, without that wonderful sour cream, I’ve been enjoying an Italian/ Mexican mashup: herby, slightly garlicy bruschetta topping, scooped up with blue tortilla chips (which taste the same, but look prettier!)
I’m a fan of making up big bowls of something like this and keeping it in the fridge to add a bit of freshness and colour to whatever you happen to be eating. Yes you can also make bruschetta with toasted pieces of leftover bread, but I’ve also enjoyed it spooned over roasted chicken thighs and rice, and stirred through my pesto pasta. It would be divine over just cooked and rested steak with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
I’m not going to tell you how many people this bruschetta salsa will serve, because it is really up to what you want to use it for. However, the measurements below will produce about a dessert bowl full, and you don’t have to stick to things exactly. I used a pack of 6 tomatoes and half a red onion because it is easy, but feel free to tone down the onion if you prefer, or use whatever scraps you have left from when other recipes have called for not a full onion. I’ve used garlic infused extra virgin from Pomora here (they kindly send me a free subscription, which I adore) as garlic oil gives the flavour without the garlic breath, but you can add one very small crushed clove to the mix instead. It’s more of a personal preference thing.
This classic bruschetta salsa is delicious served Mexican-style with blue tortilla chips.
Ingredients
Scale
6 Large Ripe Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 Red Onion, very finely chopped
Handful Fresh Basil, torn
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garlic-infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tortilla Chips, for serving
Instructions
Combine the chopped tomatoes, red onion and torn basil, and season to taste with sea salt and a generous few grinds of black pepper.
Add a slosh of extra virgin olive oil, and stir well before serving.
Notes
Try not to include any of the juice from the cutting board when you’ve done the tomatoes, because it will only make an already wet salsa even more watery.
I only like to do this with white onions, and sometimes not even in my salsas, but if you want to take a little of the bite out of the onion you can soak the cut pieces in cold water before patting them dry on a piece of kitchen paper before adding them to the salsa.
I'm a food writer living in the English Countryside. Welcome to my online diary where I share easy, weeknight recipes, foodie travel diaries and some of the best places I've eaten out recently.
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