Twice the tomato on toast

When I was a kid, I wasn't a big fan of tomatoes. My grandfather would eat them right off the vine.

"Bleck!" I would say.

I did like ketchup and that was about the only way I would eat tomatoes until I was a poor college student.

Then I discovered they were a great, inexpensive meal if you combined them with the right combination of spices. And, they were exceptionally attractive because I didn't have to cook them...when you're in class from 8 in the morning until 10 at night you don't have time to cook. And, at the time, I didn't want to take the time to learn how to cook either.

So, once I learned to love the love apple (as the word for tomato in many other languages translates literally), I would use first as a meal unto itself and, later, as a favorite ingredient in cooking.

This recipe uses the fruit in a couple of different forms for a nice variety of tastes and textures. And it doesn't require cooking skills more complicated than making toast. Anyone can make this.

Give it a try...it's like a simple pizza with the emphasis on the tomatoes instead of the cheese.

Two Tomato Brushetta

6 Romatomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into tiny pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil - just the leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf of crusty bread (Italian, French or Cuban)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated

• Preheat the oven to broil.
• Stir together the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices.
• Place the bread slices in a single layer on a baking dish and broil them for about two minutes or until the surface is slightly brown.
• Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the toasted bread slices. Top the bread with the cheese.
• Broil for 5 minutes or so - just until the cheese is melted.
  
  Vegetarian.