fresh

We have a farmer's market here.  Like a real one.  I know, all of you out there in places like California or NYC or even SLC are thinking, "what?  All this time she didn't have one close by?"  And my answer to you is ... no.  Fortunately, we had cute little farm stands here and there, but you had to go searching for them.  But that's better than nothing.  But here in Bloomington?  We have a REAL FARMERS MARKET!  And I've been addicted since we've moved.  Our weekly Saturday morning ritual is to get up, eat a quick breakfast, get ready, and GO.  And once we're there, the first thing I do is buy a little carton of cherry--or other variety of teeny, snackable tomatoes--for my 2 year old daughter to munch on while we browse through all of the different vendors.  There's one that I feel particularly pressed to visit every week because not only do they sell amazing produce, they are Asian.  And we Asians support each other.  And they're so nice and have stuff that other people don't.  Like nashi (Japanese pears), and Thai basil for $0.75 a bag.  Not kidding.  $0.75 a bag.  A big bag.

Anyway, there I was with a bunch of pretty, colorful cherry tomatoes one Tuesday morning, with no lunch planned for me and the kids.  But thankfully I had made some good bread the day before, and a whole handful of sweet basil from my friend's backyard garden, so I made us a quick cherry tomato bruschetta.  And it was quite satisfying.  It might have been the hearty bread we ate it on.  Whatever it was, I was in heaven.


quick cherry tomato bruschetta

6~8 basil leaves (more or less, depending on what you like.  I like as much fresh herbs as possible--especially when it comes to sweet basil), rolled up and sliced thin with a shaaaaaarp knife.
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half across the middle, not pole-to-pole
2~4 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove, minced or grated
salt and pepper to taste

2~4 slices of good, crusty bread, toasted

1. In a medium bowl, combine the basil, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Toss to combine.  The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors will meld together.  Mmm.
2. Pile on as much or as little of the tomato mixture onto your crusty bread and eat immediately.