Spicy Bruschetta

⏱ 38 mins 🍽 12 serving(s) 🏷 Spreads

This bruschetta recipe brings a spicy Cajun twist to the classic Italian starter. It involves preparing a flavourful cheese spread with ricotta, cream cheese, and parmesan, blended with sautéed vegetables and cayenne pepper. The mixture is spread onto garlic-buttered, toasted baguette slices and finished with fresh tomato, black olives, and a sprinkle of herbs. It can be served cold or briefly warmed. The recipe yields 12 servings and takes about 38 minutes to prepare.

Spicy Bruschetta

Ingredients

  • 1 French bread (Baguette)
  • 8 ounces grape tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves (about 2 tbls.)
  • 1 (4 ounce) can of sliced black olives
  • 8 ounces butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 pinches white pepper, to taste
  • 1 -2 tablespoon cayenne pepper, to taste
  • 3 ounces olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 shallot
  • 5 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 6 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 ounces parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Slice the French bread thinly, ensuring pieces are under 1/4in thick, and set them aside.
  2. Thinly slice the grape tomatoes and set them aside separately.
  3. Finely chop the shallot, green onions, celery, cilantro, parsley, basil, and oregano, keeping them in separate piles.
  4. Heat 2 oz of olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallot, 3 tbls green onion, celery, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 tbls cilantro, and 1 tbls pressed garlic until softened, which should take 3-5 min.
  5. Combine all the cheeses in a bowl, microwaving for 30 sec if needed to soften. Mix in the cooled sautéed ingredients, garlic powder, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Chilling this mixture for a few hours before use is recommended.
  6. Place the butter, the remaining olive oil, and the remaining garlic in a cup and melt the mixture in a microwave.
  7. Arrange the sliced bread in a single layer on a large cookie sheet.
  8. Stir the melted butter mixture and brush it generously onto one side of each bread slice.
  9. Place the bread under the broiler until it becomes lightly toasted.
  10. Once the bread has cooled, spread the cheese mixture onto each slice.
  11. Place 2-3 sliced black olives on top of the cheese on each piece.
  12. Add 2 or 3 slices of tomato to the top of each bruschetta.
  13. Mix the remaining cilantro and green onion together and sprinkle this over each slice.
  14. You might need to chop a little extra cilantro and green onion for the garnish.
  15. Be mindful that cilantro has a potent flavour, so use it sparingly.
  16. These can be served cold, or you can warm them in an oven at 350 for 5-8 minutes, being careful not to let the cheese run.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium451400 mg

Recipe details

CategorySpreads
AuthorLande Hoffman