I know what you’re thinking. You saw the title of this post and you said out loud, “There’s no such thing as Cuban Bruschetta.”
That’s also what my mom said. (But then she’s a Cuban Mother and it’s part of her job description to argue recreationally, but that’s not important right now.)
Lucy (who is the Bruschetta Expert of the family) asked, “So what makes it Cuban?”
Well, let me tell you. It’s the extra garlic butter. And maybe the splash of vinegar. Or the cumin. And the tomato/sweet onion ration. Also, as with all Cuban food, the flavor is seriously sublime.
Jonathan: “Can I have another?” (Win!)
Allow me to introduce you to the awesomeness that is Cuban Style Bruschetta. Because that’s what I’m here for.
Cuban Bruschetta
- 3 chopped Roma tomatoes (ripe, but firm)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet (!) onion
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- A splash of vinegar (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 8 cloves garlic, minced (separate about a third for the garlic butter)
- Salt and pepper to taste
1) In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, 3/4ths of the minced garlic.
2) Add salt and pepper to taste.
3) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or longer) to let the flavors blend together.
Cuban Bruschetta Toast
- 12 slices Cuban bread (French bread will work, but it should have a soft crust.)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 stick of butter, softened, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1) Slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.
2) Mash the remaining garlic into the softened butter.
3) Compress each slice of the bread with a spatula.
3) Butter both sides of the smashed bread with the garlic butter.
4) Fry up the slices of buttered bread in a frying pan, over medium heat, until lightly toasted on each side. Be careful with this. The garlic and butter combo can quickly burn if you don’t watch it.
5) Spoon the tomato/onion mixture on each slice of toasted bread.
6) Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. (The cilantro is not just a garnish. It adds a lovely flavor to the bruschetta. Trust me.)
7) Serve immediately.
8) Email me and tell me how much you loved it.
I’m not going to argue about it! Looks delicious, love the butter addition.
Well you win a medal for this one, love cilantro and will be making this soon.thank you
lol. you could also argue, “Im Cuban, I made it, so it’s Cuban” … my Spanish-Cuban grandmother argues with me when I cook Cuban food for the sake of argument, even when I use the same ingredients as she, she will find something like “Yo no lo cocino tanto tiempo” or “cocinaste el sofrito mucho tiempo”, “yo no le agregaba oregano”, “mas o menos aciete” she will nit pick it to the spices lol. or “solo usaba pimienta entera para eso no pimienta molida” and of course if it’s not her way it’s not Cuban she’ll say “Es envento tuyo verdad”… very hard woman to please I love her though 🙂 I tell her, “Cada maestrito con su librito ;-)” or “me va quedar igual de rico, o mejor tu vas a ver” lol. or my other defense, “lo aprendi de otra Cubana” or “lo vi en un libro Cubano es otro manera de hacerlo” and she’ll say “Pues seria un Cubano loco porque yo no lo hago asi”ok ok long rant lol. gotta love em.